Chasing Aliens Is Nothing
by Ze Evil Twins
Summary: Torchwood recruit two new members. How will they fare as alienhunters? Romance, humour and psychotic women out to get Owen's privates. OCs, but all the other characters are there as well. Rated for language, violence and themes. Owen/OC, slight Gwen/Jack
1. Prologue

**Intro bit**

**Disclaimer: **We don't own Torchwood (unfortunately - well, fortunately for Owen, because Imogen would be all over him like a shot). We do, however, own Jenny Winters, Scarlet Dawson, Lauren, the police detectives and the forensic dudes. Also, we're not chemists or forensic scientists, so don't be picky about the details. We're just using our imaginations (and occasionally Wikipedia).

**Shameless Begging**: Please, please review. Tell us how to improve, or tell us we're wonderful. We want to knowhow we're doing. Flames, however, will just be laughed at, so if you're posting a negative review, make it better by offering _constructive _criticism. Thankyoumuchly!

**Apologies**: For the sheer long-ness of it XD (we got a bit carried away). Also, for some reason it decided to screw up the spaces and new lines, so if you see a space missing, that's why.

**This chapter contains:**Strong language, guns (minor) and groin-related injuries (minor, though Owen might say otherwise.)

**Summary**

Torchwood recruit two new members. How will they fare as alienhunters? Romance, humour and psychotic women out to get Owen's privates. OCs, but all the other characters are there as well. Rated for language, violence and themes. Mostly Owen/OC and slight Jack/Gwen.

**Chapter One**

"Can you send this off to the lab?" A masked figure handed a blood-stained shoe to a similarly clad colleague. The recipient nodded and walked off.The first figure stretched, her paper gown rustling as she did so. She sighed, then looked back at the body beside her."Right, let's get him back, then." Three more masked people appeared and lifted the body onto a wheeled table. They covered the lifeless corpse with a sheet and pushed him inside the back of a waiting van.

The woman removed her mask, taking a deep breath of cool, fresh air as she noticed the two men walking towards her. She smiled. "Morning, Jenny," The younger of the two greeted. "So...what can you tell us?"  
"Single gunshot wound to the head. Male, aged about thirty-five, name unknown. Carrying no ID of any sort. Wallet and all valuables stolen. No sign of a struggle. Probably killed in another location and moved here." She glanced at the covered corpse as the van doors were shut. "Died sometime in the early hours of this morning."  
The police detectives both nodded.

Jenny was about to continue when frantic footsteps sounded behind her.

She whipped round to see her friend Lauren hurtling around the corner and speeding towards her. Lauren's face was contorted into an expression of fright - pure terror, even. Breathing heavily, she looked over her shoulder. Jenny followed her gaze to see a group of people pausing on the corner, before one shouted and they began running down the street.

Lauren, who hadn't seen Jenny, quickened her pace. Jenny's brow furrowed in confusion as her friend merely sped past, not acknowledging her. She apologised to the two officers in front of her and stepped over the tape that marked the crime scene.

"LAUREN?" Jenny called out to her friend. No response.

Hurried footsteps behind her again. She moved out of the way quickly and saw three figures go past - two men and a woman. One of the men held a phone up to his ear, yelling something into the mouthpiece. Jenny couldn't work out what he was saying.

She watched them run away from her, confused and intrigued. It didn't take long to make her decision. With a fleeting glance back at the shocked officers, she broke into a run and followed the three.

Confusion raked through her brain. Who were these people, and why were they chasing her friend? They didn't look like the average group of criminals who would go around mugging and attacking. The woman was in heels, for one, and the man on the phone was clad in a leather jacket and jeans. The other man wore a military style trenchcoat that flew behind him as he ran.

They turned a corner and were lost from sight for a moment. Jenny turned round the corner, expecting them to come into view again, but was met with an empty street.

Her head flickered around again, searching almost desperately for a sign of them. She took a few paces down the street, listening, looking. Nothing. They were gone.

How could they have gone? She hadn't been that far behind! The street she stood in wasn't short, with no side streets or exits except for the turning onto the main road at the end. It was a back street, completely deserted, so they couldn't disappear into the crowd.

Her shoe knocked against something. She looked down. By her heel lay a mobile phone, still open and beeping faintly. She bent down and picked the phone up in her gloved hand. She looked at the screen. 'Tosh calling', the screen informed her.

She flipped it closed and pocketed it.

"Come on, Scarlet, I'm hungry," Jenny frowned, swinging her legs.

A redhaired girl in a labcoat sighed and reached for a bag that lay near her. Digging inside it, she drew out a chocolate bar and held it out to Jenny. Jenny grinned broadly and jumped off the stool she was sitting on. She took the bar from Scarlet's hand.

"I just need to finish this," Scarlet said, putting a pair of goggles on. "Five minutes." She looked back down at the desk she was working at and picked up a test tube.

"You said that half an hour ago."

Scarlet rolled her eyes and ignored her friend's comment. Jenny took a bite of the chocolate bar and moved to stand next to the window. She gazed out of the glass pane, watching the people in the street.

A trenchcoat.

She moved closer to the window, almost pressing her face against the glass. In the darkness, she could only just make them out, but it was definitely them. The man in the trenchcoat, the man in the leather jacket - subconsciously she felt for the phone, finding it nestled safely in her jeans pocket - and the woman in heels. And Lauren, she realised with a gasp, slung unceremoniously over the trenchcoat man's shoulder. They stood on the corner, talking to someone Jenny didn't recognise.

"It's them..." She whispered. "And this time, I'm not going to lose them."

She looked back at Scarlet. "Is that dangerous?" She asked, pointing toa test tube full of a blue-coloured liquid.

Scarlet glanced at it briefly. "Only if you set fire to it." She went back to her work. "Done!" She said triumphantly moments later, standing up. She took off the labcoat and hung it up and placed the goggles on the desk.

"What about that?" Jenny pointed to a bottle in a cupboard. Scarlet followed the gaze.

"Very, don't touch it." She put her coat on and swung her bag over her shoulder. Jenny silently beckoned her over and pointed at the group through the window. Scarlet too gasped as she saw Lauren's limp figure draped over the man in the trenchcoat's shoulder.

"We have to follow them." Jenny said. "They're the ones I saw earlier. It's them, I'm sure of it. We can't let them kidnap her."

Scarlet looked back at the cupboard. "And you want to bring that?" Jenny nodded. Scarlet sighed.

They quickly unlocked the cupboard and took one of the bottles from the back. Scarlet wrapped it in a plastic bag and placed it in her own bag.

"Come on, they're beginning to move," Jenny, still stationed at the window, watched cautiously.

Somehow, they managed to get out of the building before the group had gotten too far away. They ran lightly, careful not to be seen.

Scarlet and Jenny followed the group through Cardiff Bay, where they saw them enter the tourist information center. they looked at each other in confusion, then followed. Looking through the glass doors, they couldn't see anyone in there other than the young man sitting behind the desk.

"I don't believe it, they've disappeared again!" said Jenny in an exasperatedwhisper.

"Why would they go into the tourist office?" wondered Scarlet.

"Come on, lets go in and see if we can work out where they've gone."

They opened the door and stepped into the warm interior. There was a man sitting behind the desk, writing something on a piece of paper. He looked up as they entered and smiled warmly.

"Good evening, Ladies," He said, putting his pen down. "Can I help you at all?"

Jenny thought for a few seconds before replying. Scarlet closed the door behind them and they walked up to the desk.

"Yes, actually," Jenny glanced around once before she continued, as if to check that they had, indeed, gone. There was no sign. "I think I saw someone come in a few moments ago. I need to speak to him, I have his phone." She dug into her pocket and withdrew the phone. Scarlet slid her hand inside her bag, not looking away from the man behind the desk. They watched his face and registered a fleeting hint of recognition as the phone was held up. "He was wearing a leather jacket and he was with another man and a woman." Scarlet watched his hand. Subconsciously, his hand was crawling under the desk, searching for something. She didn't think he realised it. Jenny continued speaking, holding his attention. "Oh, and my friend may have been draped over one of their shoulders."

Scarlet's hand found what it was looking for. She pulled the spray bottle out of her bag in one smooth movement and sent a shower of chemical into the man's face. For a second he was in pure shock, then moments later he slumped in his chair, breathing faintly.

Jenny threw Scarlet a quizzical look. "Why do you have that?"

Scarlet merely grinned. She looked out of the window to check no-one was watching, then moved behind the desk and bent down. She soon found what the man had been searching for. A button. She pressed it.

A section of the wall to the left of the desk swung forwards like a door. The girls quickly glanced at each other before proceeding cautiously through.

They entered a vast room, full of grated walk ways and staircases. On the wall ahead of them, large letters spelt out the word TORCHWOOD. They entered a few doors and looked around. It seemed deserted. Then suddenly Jenny grabbed Scarlet's arm and pointed up at a room with large windows. Inside were four people,the three who had taken Lauren were just recognisable, the fourth figure she couldn't see clearly. they were sitting round a table and looked as if they were having some sort of meeting.

Scarlet put her fingers to her lips and then started to walk further into the room, keeping to the edges and shadows as much as possible. Jenny made a gesture that implied they should get completely out of sight from the people sitting in the room above. Scarlet nodded and led the way to the nearest staircase that presumably would take them down a floor.

They hurried down the stairs and found themselves surrounded by glass prison cells. At first, the two assumed that they were all empty, then they passed one with a figure in it. He seemed to be wearing some sort of mask. He watched them from behind the glass, not speaking, hunched over slightly.

"That looks almost real," Scarlet muttered under her breath. It was quite disturbing, in a way. He was still staring at them. Eager to get away from the strange masked man, they continued looking around.

Jenny drew breath sharply and took a step back as she saw her. Lauren. In a glass-walled cell, laying on a bed. Tubes and wires tangled around her. Machines stacked around the cell.

Scarlet saw her too. They moved closer until they were right up against the glass.

"How do you open these things?" Jenny said in a whisper. There were holes in the glass. "Lauren?" She whispered, putting her mouth up to the holes. "Lauren?" No response. She wasn't expecting anything. She turned round to look at Scarlet, sighing.

Scarlet had her hand in her bag again. This time, she drew out the plastic bag and tipped out the bottle they'd taken from the cupboard earlier. She unscrewed the lid and poured a small measure of the fluid into it.

"Get back," She said to Jenny quietly. Once Jenny was safely out of the way, she threw the liquid in the lid at the glass.

There was a fizzing sound as the glass began to dissolve. Parts of it simply disappeared, in a splatter pattern, other parts that hadn't been hit simply crumbled, unsupported. In seconds there was a gaping hole in the glass.

It still wasn't big enough to fit through, though, so Jenny kicked at the edges. The glass had been somewhat weakened there and cracked. In a few more kicks, it collapsed.

The girls climbed through the hole cautiously. Once through, Jenny immediately set about to checking all the machines, Scarlet to the tubes.

Jenny frowned.

"Something isn't right. That -" She pointed at something on a screen. "- shouldn't be doing that, to put it simply." She looked down at Lauren's body and noticed a tiny red dot on her right side. She bent over to look at it, lifting up the covers to have a closer look.

As she put the covers down, she noticed something else - there was a gun pointed straight at her head.

The wielder was clad in a leather jacket.

Jenny froze.

"What," The man began, emphasising the word. "Are you doing?"

Despite her current situation, Jenny couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Owen." Behind the gun, she could see the confusion on his face. "I have your phone." She dug into her pocket and held out the phone. He took it, not lowering the gun. There was silence for a few moments, then Jenny spoke again. "Can you _please_ get that gun out of my face?"

"How did you get in here?" Owen asked, pocketing his phone.

"The man on reception was very helpful," Scarlet piped up. The gun was turned on her.

"What are you doing to that?" He indicated Lauren, turning back to Jenny.

"That?" Jenny looked disgusted. "_That_ is Lauren, our friend, and I should be asking you the same question. Who's the doctor?"

Owen lowered the gun slightly. "I am."

"Well, you should be fired." Jenny said. The gun was raised.

"_What_?" He hissed.

"Well, for one thing, you managed to miss the gaping hole in her side." She peeled back the blanket to show him. "A gunshot wound. Fired from about ten meters away. From a pistol. Like that one." She indicated the gun, still pointed in her direction. Owen dropped the gun. It clattered to the floor as he moved to see the wound. He swore.

"How do you know it's from a pistol?" He asked, reaching for a medical kit that lay on one of the machines.

"Terminal ballistics is one of my specialities." Jenny said, stepping back to let him get to the wound. Owen looked at her, puzzled. "I work in Forensics. I analyse dead bodies." She explained. He looked unimpressed, waving her out of the way.

Owen opened the medical kit, searching through it for something. He cursed again, apparently not finding it. He muttered something about leaving it upstairs.

For the third time, Scarlet had her hand in her bag. She drew out another spray bottle, full of pale-yellow coloured liquid. She moved closer to Lauren and sprayed the liquid onto the wound.

Owen pushed her away. The bottle clattered to the floor and skidded across the cell. "What the hell are you doing?" His voice was raised.

"Antiseptic spray." Scarlet said simply. "I make medicines."

He looked around the edges of the room, his eyes resting on a camera in the corner. "Will one of you please get down here? They're a couple of nutcases!" He shouted at it, presumably talking to the others Jenny and Scarlet had seen upstairs.

"Us nutcases?!" exclaimed Jenny angrily, "You're the ones who have shot and kidnapped an innocent girl, locked her up in a prison cell and strapped a load of machines to her!"

"Innocent girl?! It's a fucking alien! It's just nearly killed two people!" he paused to looked from Jenny to Scarlet. They both wore the same shocked expressions. "Not quite as innocent as you thought, eh?"

"Alien?" questioned Scarlet, "What the hell do you mean by that? It's Lauren, she's our friend, we've know her for years."

Owen turned to face her and gave an exasperated look, before sighing and saying quickly "Cardiff is built on a Rift in time and space, so all the alien crap from other planets and universes gets washed up here. Not that you're going to believe that, and Jack is going to shoot me for telling you."

While Scarlet had been keeping Owen's attention, Jenny had picked up the gun he had discarded earlier. Owen froze when he felt the cool metal against his head.

"Alright, that's enough. You've kidnapped our friend, treated her like she's some sort of lab rat, not to mention shot her, and you're telling us you did it on the grounds that she's an _alien_? Now, we're not playing games anymore. I warn you, I have very good connections with the police and the government. Who are you, and what are you really doing with Lauren?"

Before Owen could reply, the man who wore the military coat burst through the door that lead to the stairs, brandishing a gun similar to the one Jenny held against Owen's head.

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" The man in the trenchcoat yelled, an American accent thick through his words. His gun was focused on Jenny, who still had the pistol pressed against Owen's head.

"Well, it does appear that I have a gun at my head," Owen said, sarcasm apparent in his voice.

Jenny dug the gun deeper into his hair and Owen winced. "Just returning the favour," She growled. She looked up at the man in the trenchcoat. "Before I start calling you trenchcoat man, who are you?"

He had moved closer in response to Jenny digging the gun in. "Captain Jack Harkness," He replied warily. "Drop the gun."

"Why should I?" Jenny said. "You've kidnapped and shot one of our friends, and your useless doctor here -" She moved the gun away slightly so she could hit him with it, "- somehow managed to miss the bloody gunshot wound."

Captain Jack looked at Owen with a mixture of confusion and exasperation. Owen sighed.

"Okay, so that bit's true, but..." Owen began, but Scarlet cut him short.

"Locked her up in some glass cell and even had the cheek to call her an alien!" Scarlet picked up the bottle Owen had knocked from her hands. "What even is this place?" She asked, her voice raised.

Jack ignored her. "Look, I know you're upset," He began, slightly shakily. "But you have to believe me. The girl on that table isn't Lauren Smith - not anymore, anyway. She's an alien, a dangerous one. I know you haven't got any reason to trust me at the moment, but please, please believe me. She's dangerous."

The look on his face was so sincere that the two girls began to believe him. But not entirely - how could they? The idea was ridiculous. Aliens in the middle of Cardiff? Lauren, whom they'd known for three years, a dangerous alien? Dangerous was the last word they'd use to describe Lauren.

"Why should we believe you?" Both girls said at the same time.

"I can prove it to you. Please, just put the gun down, and come upstairs with me."

Unable to think of an alternative thing to do, Jenny slowly lowered the gun from Owen's head. After all, she thought to herself, it wasn't like she would really shoot him. Owen breathed out in a sigh of relief, then spun round to face Jenny.

"Crazy bitch." he snarled. Jenny rounded on him and kneed him hard in the groin. He grunted and doubled up in pain.

"Don't," warned Jenny, "talk to me like that."

Then Jenny turned on her heel, and joined Scarlet standing at the side of the room, who had watched this with an amused look on her face. She knew from previous events how violent Jenny could be, particularly when faced with cocky boys. Even the man named Jack was smirking.

"Now that you have finished abusing my staff, would you care to come upstairs and learn about the true identity of this friend of yours?"

He turned and headed up the stairs, not looking back to see if they were following. With a quick glance at each other, the two girls walked quickly past a still swearing Owen and caught up with Jack.

Still not looking behind, Jack yelled back towards the cell. "Owen, stop rolling around and treat your patient."

They entered a space mostly taken up by computers - a set of monitors in the center glowed, shedding a blue-coloured light over the face of a woman, one Jenny didn't recognise, who stood in front of them, occasionally tapping on a keyboard. She looked up as they approached, raising her eyebrows slightly as she saw Jenny and Scarlet but looking altogether unsurprised.

"This is Toshiko Sato, also known as Tosh." Jack introduced her. "Our resident tech geek." Toshiko opened her mouth slightly to protest, but then realised it was mostly true and merely looked back at the screen. It was only now that Scarlet and Jenny realised what she was watching - CCTV footage of the cell they'd just come from.

"That was some kick," Tosh smiled, not taking her eyes off the screen. "He only just got up."

Jenny walked over to join her and peered at the screen. She grinned broadly, watching Owen wince as he gingerly stood up and reached for the medical kit again.

She tore her attention away from the screen as she heard the click of high heels on metal grate behind her. She turned to see the woman from before.The woman paused at the sight of the two strangers in the room.

"Gwen Cooper." Jack introduced.

"Are these -"Gwen began, looking at Jack.

"The ones who broke in?" He finished for her. She nodded. "Yeah. This is..." He frowned suddenly and looked at Scarlet. "Who are you?"

They quickly gave their names. Jack chuckled at himself. Another person entered the room and Jack began laughing again. It was the manthat had been on reception earlier. He too paused as he saw Scarlet and Jenny, his eyes especially resting on Scarlet, giving her a slightly annoyed look. He raised his eyebrows.

"Ianto Jones I believe you've met," He said, glancing at Scarlet, who smiled sheepishly. Ianto was holding a mug of steaming coffee. He had a small bruise on his forehead from where he'd fallen earlier.

Scarlet looked apologetic. "We had to know what you were doing. For all we know you could have been about to pull out a gun." She explained. Then her face lit up as a thought struck her, and she started rummaging around in her bag again. She pulled out a small tube, not dissimilar from a lipstick tube, and handed it to Ianto. "Rub that on the bruise and it will be gone within the hour."

Ianto frowned as he wound up the tube to reveal a mucky-purplish gel-stick. He grimaced and replaced the lid, not touching the stuff inside.

"Your loss," Scarlet shrugged, "I was only trying to help."

Jack raised his eyebrows at Scarlet's bag. "What the hell do women carry in their handbags nowadays?"

"Believe me," laughed Jenny, though she showed no signs of real humour, "You don't want to know."

"You want to bet on that?" Jack said flirtatiously. Ianto rolled his eyes, Tosh sighed loudly and Gwen chuckled before speaking.

"Yeah, that's Jack, flirts with anything alive -male, female or alien." She sat down on a chair beside Ianto.

"What is all this rubbish everyone's talking about aliens?" said Scarlet, intervening quickly. As with the violence, she knew what Jenny could be like with men. Especially ones as good looking as Jack.

"As Owen has already told you,Cardiff is based on a rift in time and space.No, really, it is." he added, seeing the girls quickly look disbelievingly at each other."Think about it, haven't you ever seen something, even just for a fraction of a second, which made no sense, which you thought was impossible? Haven't you ever seen somethingso insane that you dismissed it as your imagination?Have you seriously never considered the possibility that there's more out there?"

Both girls were looking uncomfortable now.

"The thing you saw in that cell, that was no mask, no trick of the light, no deformity. That was a weevil, a type of alien. Tosh, can you bring up some files of recent rift activity?"

"Sure." She replied, and before the girls could blink, all the computer monitors surrounding Tosh were showing pictures of weird creatures neither of the girls had seen before. They were both wide eyed now.

"They could be CGI…" Scarlet said, though she sounded doubtful.

"Ianto," Jack called, "Open up some of the freezers and let our guests have a peek please." He lead the way over to where Ianto was busy fiddling around with some of the large draws that completely covered the wall. Each draw had a number and a small identity label. Jenny read one of the labels close to her. 'Suzie Costello, Death by Torchwood" was written in small neat handwriting on the label on draw 006.

Jenny was distracted by her thoughts on who Suzie Costello was when Scarlet let out a loud gasp. Ianto had pulled out one of the draws, which contained a body bag that he opened to reveal a creature that looked like it was a cross between a human and a blowfish. Jenny walked nearer to investigate. After all, she thought to herself, dead bodies were her speciality. The creature had been killed by a bullet to the brain, that much was obvious.

She turned from the fish-man to Jack. "What is it?" she asked.

"To be honest, we're not entirely sure. It could either simply be an alien, or it could have been a human that was mutated by alien technology. There's no real way to tell."

"Right, okay," said Scarlet from behind them, "Now that you've proved to us that aliens exist, what is it _you_ do?"

"We're Torchwood, a secret organisation set up to monitor the rift's activity, catch whatever alien being, technology or whatever else comes through, and generally save the world every other day or so." Jack said promptly.

"Wow," said Jenny, "Not your average boring office job then, eh?"

Tosh laughed, "Nope. We risk our lives every day, but to be honest the amazing things we get to see makes it worth it."

"Only I think that fighting aliens is pretty easy compared to dealing with psychotic women out to get my privates." came a voice from behind them. They all turned to see Owen walking towards them. He spotted Jenny's glare andremained a few feet out of harm's way. Jenny opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when she heard someone clear their throat just behind her. She turned to see Ianto holding out two mugs of steaming coffee to herself and Scarlet.

"It helps with the shock of taking all this in," he said with a small smile. Scarlet reached for them slowly, quietly thanking Ianto. She passed one to Jenny, who looked at the coffee suspiciously.

"Hold on Scarlet, don't drink that."

Scarlet looked at her questioningly. Jenny took the other mug from Scarlet's hand.

"It's just black coff-" Ianto started, but was shushed by Jenny's warning glare.

"They've added something to this. Black coffee doesn't have foam that looks like _that_." She pointed to the thin layer of creamy-beige bubble's floating round the edge of the surface of the coffee. "Hang on a minute…" and like Scarlet had done so frequently that evening, Jenny started digging around her own bag, a small one that was slung over her shoulder. She pulled out what looked like a small piece of white card, and stuck it her coffee, giving it a stir. She pulled it out and looked at it. "Told you." She held up the card, which had turned a faint reddish colour. "Very simple piece of technology this. It was brought out as a safety device, for people to check if anyone has spiked their drink at bars and clubs. It works a bit like a pregnancy test, it detects chemicals added to a drink, and if the results are positive it turns red." The torchwood team were now staring at her, frozen and unsure of what to do. "Scarlet, can you find out what they've added to this?"

"No problem." said Scarlet. She looked at her own coffee mug and wrinkled her nose, before setting it down and rummaging in her bag.

Ignoring the uneasy looks and quiet protests from the team, she pulled a few bottles and set to work, carefully measuring out different liquids and adding them into the coffee. After about a minute, she took out a pipette and added a few drops of the coffee solution onto a small square of paper. The solution was quickly absorbed by the paper, where it separated into different colours. Scarlet looked up at Jenny. "It contains B67." she said with a grim expression, pointing at a particularly bright blue in the mix of colours on the paper.

"Retcon?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah."

Both girls turned at the same time to glare accusingly at the Torchwood team, who were looking at them in amazement.

"How…" Jack started hoarsely, then cleared his throat and started again. "How the hell do you know all that?"

"We both have high positions in the government. I work in forensics. Mostly it's just investigating crime scenes for the police, but occasionally I have to go undercover to check out dodgy companies and whatever. Scarlet is a chemist genius, she can make almost anything. The only stuff she can't make involves using chemicals so dangerous they're impossible to get hold of. And even then, she normally finds a way." Jenny smiled slightly at the last sentence.

"I normally work for the police as well, though, like Jenny said, and there's sometimes something bigger going on that I have to help out with. We often have to work together, so we've become a good team." Scarlet put the last bottle back into her bag.

Ianto gave a low whistle, Gwen and Tosh were wide eyed, and even Owen looked impressed. At last Jack said "So you've worked out our trick of using the amnesia pill...what are we going to do with you now? You know, we can't let you leave here knowing everything that you've found out."

Jenny fired up at once. "Is that a threat? So what are you going to do, kill us?!"

"The skills you have shown are beyond impressive. So, no, I'm not going to kill you...I'm going to offer you a job at Torchwood."


	2. Chapter One

**Intro bit**

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Torchwood (unfortunately - well, fortunately for Owen, because Imogen would be all over him like a shot). We do, however, own Jenny Winters, Scarlet Dawson, Lauren, the police detectives and the forensic dudes. Also, we're not chemists or forensic scientists, so don't be picky about the details. We're just using our imaginations (and occasionally Wikipedia).

**Shameless Begging:** Please, please review. Tell us how to improve, or tell us we're wonderful. We want to know how we're doing. Flames, however, will just be laughed at, so if you're posting a negative review, make it better by offering _constructive _criticism. Thankyoumuchly!

Also, please keep in mind that we get ridiculously excited when people review, favourite or put this on story alert. And we do try to put in stuff people advise us about. So make your good deed for the day making two girls jump for joy when you do something like that. Honestly, we do actually get quite hyper.

Thank you _lots_ to the people who have done this, you made us happy D

**Apologies:** For the sheer long-ness of it XD (we got a bit carried away). Also, for some reason it decided to screw up the spaces and new lines, so if you see a space missing, that's why. And if the stars/lines/etc to show scenes are missing, that's not our fault. Honest, we do put them in. And they get taken out.

Also, we know the last bit was called chapter one as well, that was due to a momentary lapse of concentration – it should have been the prologue. This one really is chapter one.

**This chapter contains:** Moderate language, laziness, shameless clichés, Jack/Gwen and drunkenness.

**Summary**

Torchwood recruit two new members. How will they fare as alienhunters? Romance, humour and psychotic women out to get Owen's privates. OCs, but all the other characters are there as well. Rated for language, violence and themes. Mostly Owen/OC and some Jack/Gwen.

* * *

**Chapter One**

The creature was odd-looking, to say the least - humanoid, with legs, arms, a head, but devoid of features that make a human. Its skin, if indeed it was skin, shone the darkest black, swirling and bubbling as if the body was made of pure liquid. Its movements did nothing to disprove this theory, flexing in strange fluid motions that seemed impossible to anyone with bones. Its chest did not rise and fall with the ebb and flow of breath; instead it remained almost motionless as it watched the waves crash around it, somehow seeing through an eyeless head. It had no name, no purpose, it just _was_.

Its fingers stretched. With no other movement, it simply began walking - into the waters of Cardiff Bay.

* * *

"So...what is it?" Jenny Winters asked, leaning over the front seat of the black SUV. There was silence for a moment before Tosh spoke. 

"We don't know," She said, pursing her lips slightly. She looked back at the screen in front of her. Toshiko seemed to spend her entire life in front of a screen. "I've traced the source of the rift energy to edge of the water, but obviously it's harder to track once it's underwater."

Jack pulled over at the kerb by the bay. He paused before turning to look at Tosh who was sitting in the passenger seat beside him. "So once again we find ourselves faced with an alien that we have no real idea what it is and why it is here? Fantastic." He quickly jumped out of the SUV, the others following suit.

As Gwen jumped down out of the car, her back heel caught on the step and she fell forwards. Jack, who was holding the door open for her, immediately moved to catch her and she fell against him. They stayed there looking at each other for a few seconds, until Owen's voice came from behind them, still inside the SUV. "Any time soon you decide you move would be great. Or shall we just sit in the SUV all day?" Jack and Gwen immediately snapped back from each other, Gwen muttering hasty thanks to Jack.

There was a thud against the metal car as Owen and Jenny tried to leave at the same time. They looked at each other, annoyance easily distinguished in their expressions. Neither relented, their shoulders locked together, staring at each other with determination. Yet again, a voice sounded from behind them.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Scarlet sighed. "Can I get out of this bloody car sometime between now and next century?"

Jenny pursed her lips and sighed, pulling back to allow Owen out first. He smirked and she restrained throwing a well-aimed kick in his direction.

Jenny had only been working Torchwood for a couple of months, but Owen had already decided that he didn't particularly like the woman - he hadn't really liked her from the point that she kneed him in the groin. Any woman who did that to Owen Harper deserved their fair share of snide remarks and dirty looks from the doctor.

Jenny hadn't exactly been the innocent victim, though. She'd given as good as she'd got. For every smart remark Owen threw her way, there was a quick retort, and no-one cared to count the many times the two had been found arguing.

Owen jumped out of the car, followed by Jenny, then Scarlet, and finally the whole group were out of the SUV.

"So, what _do _we know?" Jenny said, closing the door.

"It looks roughly human, and it's been attacking the ferries and boats around here. We think it lives in the water, but we're not sure." Tosh replied, folding her arms.

"It has some way of poisoning people," Jack continued. "A ferry crashed a bit further round the coast after the captain was killed. Passengers on the boat reported seeing a black figure diving off the side of the ferry. It only came through this morning, and we don't yet know if it can leave the water for long, so we don't know if it will affect the rest of Cardiff."

"We're searching for a mysterious black humanoid figure with some form of poison, that may or may not be in the water?" Scarlet raised her eyebrows.

"Pretty much," Owen shrugged.

"Like that one?" Scarlet pointed down the pier. At the end of the wooden structure, a figure stood, unmoving. It wasn't a particularly cloudy day, and the pier wasn't too long, yet the figure seemed entirely in shadow, black and featureless. Unnerved by the sudden presence of the alien, the entire team took a step back.

Jack recovered first, which wasn't at all unexpected. He took a few cautious steps along the pier, his hands held up in a gesture of peace.

"Hello?" He called out. No response. The creature didn't even move. There was nothing to suggest it was even alive. Jack took a few more steps, and this time the creature moved - a tiny tilt of the head. The fluidity of the motion was disturbing. Definitely not human. "My name is Captain Jack Harkness. I'm from Torchwood," Jack continued, not taking his eyes off of it.

The alien moved again, this time extending its arm. Jack stopped walking. No-one spoke. Then the creature made a sound - a gurgling, incomprehensible sound. Jack opened his mouth again.

A twitch of the arm. A long, thin object flew from the alien's arm and raced past Jack. His eyes couldn't follow it. But he heard the shriek from Tosh as it hit her, heard the thud as she crumpled to the ground. His head whipped round towards her, panic replacing his usual smirk. The rest of the team gathered around her, calling her name.

There was a splash. Jack turned around, but the alien had gone, swimming into the depths of the water.

"It's a poisoned dart," Owen said, peering at it, but not daring to touch or remove it with his bare hands. Jack didn't reply for a moment, watching the space where the creature had stood moments before.

"Owen, Jenny, take her back to the hub. Find something. Some way to cure her." He looked out across the sea, then turned back. "Gwen, Scarlet - we've got a swimming alien to find."

Jack helped Owen to lift Tosh, who was whimpering quietly. When she was slung over Owen's shoulder, Jack chucked the keys to the SUV over to Jenny. She caught them and then hurried after Owen, who had already began to dash back to the SUV. Owen threw open the door to the back, and laid Tosh across the seat. Jenny made for the drivers seat, but Owen grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you drive." He pushed past her before she could say another word, slipping into the driver's seat. Jenny opened her mouth to argue, but heard Tosh squeak from the back seat and decided against it. Instead, she let Owen pull the door closed and jumped into the back to sit with Tosh.

Owen started the engine and slammed his foot on the pedal. Jenny rolled her eyes as she was thrown about in the back of the SUV. She glanced again at Tosh, whose faint whimpers had faded now and were barely audible. Her breathing had slowed some, and occasionally came in a short, sharp gasp, moving her entire body. The dart had struck her upper arm, burying itself through her clothing and into her flesh.

Taking care not to touch the dart itself, Jenny peeled back Tosh's jacket. The dart had pinned the leather to her skin, so it could not be peeled back far. Black tendrils of poison had crept under her skin, spreading like roots from the wound. Even as she watched, Jenny could see it spreading slowly towards Toshiko's shoulder.

Suddenly a thought struck her. The SUV lurched again as Owen turned the corner. She leaned forwards.

"Go back," She said, tapping his shoulder. He furrowed his brow.

"What?!" He said, not slowing down - or improving his driving at all.

"We need Scarlet."

"No, we need to cure Tosh at the hub,"

"Oh, and how exactly do you intend to cure a case of poisoning without an antidote?" Jenny said, raising her eyebrows. Owen thought for a moment. Without another word, he swerved on the road. Many furious gestures and cries were directed towards the SUV as Owen did a U-turn and drove back the way he'd come from.

Thanks to Owen's reckless driving, it didn't take them long to reach the pier, and by the time they'd got there the rest of the team hadn't moved far. Jenny threw open the back door of the SUV and they turned to face her, puzzled. She jumped out, grabbed Scarlet's wrist and pulled her into the back of the car.

She didn't need to look back to tell Jack's mouth was open, ready to speak.

"Antidote," She said, closing the door behind her. The SUV drove off.

Both Jack and Gwen blinked at each other, confusion evident on both their faces.

"And then there were two..." Jack laughed.

"What should we do now then?" asked Gwen.

"Well we should really get to work on finding this alien," said Jack.

"Oh. Joy. Can't we just go get a drink, and leave saving Cardiff for another day?"

"No, I'm not letting you leave me as well," Jack smiled and put his arm round her. "Besides, the others have pissed off, we have this moment all to ourselves. This could be fun." He grinned wickedly. Gwen shoved him playfully, smiling all the while.

"Right, let's go find this alien then," She sighed, a small smile still on her face as she removed his arm from her shoulders. "But you're buying me a drink later."

* * *

"OWEN WILL YOU STOP SLAMMING ON THE BREAKS, YOU ARE GOING TO KILL US!" Jenny cried from the back seat. Owen ignored her, and put his foot down especially hard just to annoy her further. The SUV screeched as it rounded the corner, and skidded to a halt outside the hub. Scarlet helped Jenny pull Tosh out of the back, and Owen took over supporting her. 

Owen refused any help in carrying Tosh and held her in his arms, leaving Jenny to close the SUV and Scarlet to open the door of the tourist office. Ianto sat behind the desk, looking worried - Jack had obviously told him they were on their way. He stood up as soon as they entered, opening the entrance to the hub and following them through, glancing at Tosh nervously.

"Is she..." He began, but stopped. Owen ignored the Welshman, carrying the limp body of Tosh down the flights of stairs and laying her on the table in the medical room. Ianto watched him from the entrance.

"She'll be fine, Ianto, don't worry," Jenny said as she passed him. "I hope," She added under her breath.

When she reached the medical room, Owen had already attached a number of wires and tubes to Tosh and was frantically flicking on machines around the room. The heart monitor was bleeping slowly.

Scarlet descended the stairs also, but turned right into a small room nearby. The room had been previously used as a large store cupboard, usually used to store unknown substances or dangerous chemicals, but once Scarlet joined Torchwood it became a small laboratory. In her first week, she'd managed to identify the properties of two alien substances, and had continued cataloguing and experimenting with the rest of the substances in her spare time. It was her perfect playground - a room full of dangerous, or potentially dangerous, chemicals that no-one else had access to. All the effects no-one had been able to produce before could be held entirely in one room - the cure for cancer, the cure for AIDS, the solution to world hunger, even. Scarlet had barely left the room in the few months she'd been here.

Her stained labcoat, with 'Scarlet Dawson' scribbled in Biro on the top pocket, hung on a peg beside the door. She reached into the room, grabbed it, pulled it on and made her way swiftly over to the autopsy room.

"I'll need a sample of the poison," She said, watching as Jenny donned a pair of gloves and picked up a surgical instrument, ready to pull the dart from Tosh's flesh.

Owen turned around and saw Jenny about to remove the dart.

"What are you doing?!" He cried, grabbing the instrument from her hand before she could grip it properly. "Are you stupid? There's probably a barb under the skin. We can't just pull it out. And we have no idea what it will do. For all we know, it could come to life and stick in one of us."

Jenny, her face colouring slightly, pursed her lips.

"So what do we do, then?"

Owen picked up a device that lay on a table beside him, replacing it with the instrument he'd taken from Jenny. It was about the size of a sheet of A4 paper, mostly blue in colour, with a large screen in the center and several buttons around the sides. He held it up.

"No." Jenny shook her head. "We have no idea what it does." The device had come through the rift the day before, and as of yet no-one knew what it did. Owen had been playing with it a bit, but hadn't managed to get it working properly yet.

"I have a theory," Owen said, holding up a hand to stop Jenny as she opened her mouth again. Annoyed, Jenny closed her mouth. "I think it absorbs things that you point it at and stores them in some sort of memory. Could be used to bring things to you without you having to go over and pick them up, I suppose. But in this case, it can be used to remove the dart without touching Tosh or damaging her any more."

"You can't test your theories on Tosh! Not at a time like this!" Jenny protested, but Owen had already turned the device on.

"Tosh hasn't got enough time," He said, his voice raised. "But if you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it." He glanced towards Jenny, who remained silent, annoyance clear on her face. "Thought not," Owen said, looking back at the screen. He pressed a button on the side, then used a dial on the side to fine-tune the device. He smiled as an x-ray style image of the dart in Tosh's arm came into view.

"Are you sure about this?" Jenny asked him, looking at Tosh. She was barely breathing at all now. Jenny reached for Tosh's limp hand. It was cold.

Owen grimaced but remained silent. He took a deep breath. His fingers moved to a larger button on the top of the device - and pressed it.

He missed.

The wall behind Jenny now had a perfectly-cut hole in it, about the same shape and size as the dart - which was still buried in Toshiko's arm.

"For God's sake, Owen, you could've bloody killed her!" She shouted, unconsciously gripping Tosh's cold hand tighter. "You can't use it!"

Owen ignored her, setting the device up again. He pressed the button again before Jenny could protest.

This time, it worked. The dart simply disappeared, leaving a hole in Tosh's jacket.

"Doctor Harper wins again," Owen smirked, putting the device back on the table. Jenny shot him a look, which he ignored.

She released Tosh's hand, peeling off the jacket and shirt to get to the wound. The wound was circular, completely blackened, with no sign of blood - instead, a black liquid bubbled and frothed at the edges, spilling over and running down Tosh's bare arm. Small cracks had spread like branches from the main wound, shining black with poison. Jenny grabbed a test tube and held it up to the wound, collecting some of the poison as it leaked from the wound.

"Will this be okay?" She asked Scarlet, holding the tube up.

"Perfect," Scarlet said, taking the sample and hurrying off towards her laboratory, her labcoat flying behind her. Owen and Jenny were left looking at the closed door, through which the clinking of glass flasks and test tubes could already be heard. There was a loud smashing sound and Scarlet's cry of "Bugger!", which seemed to awaken the two doctors from their thoughts. Jenny quickly got to work cleaning up Tosh's wound, cleaning away as much of the black sticky poison as possible. Owen went back to checking his machines. After a few minutes he spoke.

"Her heart rate has increased very slightly, which is a good sign."

"It won't stay that way though, not if we can't find an antidote..." said Jenny worriedly.

"Yeah well, your little friend is just going to make sure she finds the bloody antidote, otherwise Tosh is going to die, isn't she?!" Owen half shouted. Jenny flinched away and said nothing. She turned back to dressing Tosh's wound, while Owen strode angrily around her, occasionally throwing dirty looks at Jenny as though all this was her fault. She was just about to say something to him when Scarlet suddenly burst through the door, holding up a flask containing a murky silver-grey coloured liquid.

"Got it!" Scarlet said excitedly. "Inject this as close to the wound as possible, as she _should_ be completely normal within the hour. Well, she'll still have a big hole in her arm, but it will be ready to heal, and all poison in her blood will be dissolved."

Jenny took the flask from her quickly, and carefully measured out a dose into a syringe needle. She hurried over to Tosh, and carefully pushed the needle into the skin just below her elbow. Once done, she stood back and looked at the other two. Scarlet gave her a small smile, while Owen remained staring at Tosh.

Barely daring to breathe, all three watched Tosh, their eyes occasionally flicking up to check a machine. Nothing happened for a few moments. Not taking their eyes off of Tosh, Owen and Jenny subconsciously extended their hands towards each other, their fingers lacing together in a tight grip as they held onto each other for comfort.

Owen looked up as the slow steady beep from the machine nearest to him started to speed up. His eyes started frantically moving from machine to machine, his face growing a little brighter each time he looked at a screen. At last he turned to face the two women.

"She's going to be fine, everything's returning pretty much back to normal." He said, with a smile of relief.

Jenny checked the machines herself, smiling broadly. Scarlet ran her hands through her hair, grinning. Tosh's chest began to rise and fall again with stronger breaths, though they weren't yet perfect and the oxygen mask was left on. Scarlet looked up at the two doctors, her mouth open to say something, but she closed it as she noticed their hands. She chuckled to herself, earning a quizzical look from Jenny. She bit her lip, pointing towards their clasped hands.

Jenny and Owen gasped and simultaneously dropped each other's hands as if they were red-hot. Owen folded his arms and moved away to check a machine, coughing slightly, and Jenny blushed furiously. She too set to checking machines and wires. Neither of them said a word, both intently focused on what they were doing.

At last, Scarlet broke the silence, pressing her finger to her ear and speaking.

"Jack?" She said, still laughing slightly. She waited for a moment before he replied.

"Scarlet."

"Any luck?"

"We've seen it again, but we haven't managed to capture it. Or work out what it is, for that matter. Our bullets just seem to go right through it," His voice buzzed in her ear. "I take it from the laughter that Tosh is alright?"

"Tosh is...getting there." Scarlet glanced at Jenny and Owen, who still wouldn't look up. "Jenny and Owen were holding hands," She continued matter-of-factly. They both looked up from what they were doing, Jenny wide-eyed and blushing again, Owen looking incredibly irritated. Jenny pressed her own finger to her ear so she could listen to the conversation as well. Scarlet smiled. She could hear Jack chuckling to himself through the earpiece. "Anyway - does the alien look like it's made of liquid to you?" She said, changing the subject and immediately becoming a little more thoughtful and serious.

"You have a theory?"

"Yeah." Scarlet picked up the flask. "Living poison." Jack was silent for a moment, obviously wanting her to continue. "If it's the same poison that it hit Tosh with, then if we can find some way to drop the antidote onto it, it should be destroyed."

"Destruction seems the only option at this point. Any ideas how we can do it?"

"Water pistols!" Jenny cried, looking up and smiling. There was silence for a few moments, before Owen spoke.

"And where the hell are we supposed get water pistols from? We're big boys here, we play with real loaded guns, not kiddie water pistols."

"Big boys _and_ girls actually. I think I've proved myself more than capable of handling a gun." snapped Jenny.

Owen opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Jacks voice on the com again.

"Scarlet, I'm pretty sure Ianto has some water pistols somewhere - I don't know why - load them up with antidote and meet us at the pier where Tosh was poisoned. We're heading back that way. Jenny and Owen, you two look after Tosh."

Scarlet nodded, though she knew Jack couldn't see her do so. "See you soon, then." She said, both to Jack and the two doctors caring for Toshiko.

She ran up the stairs and out of the room, still clasping the flask. She walked up the stairs towards the entrance and slipped out, smiling at Ianto as she saw him sitting behind the desk.

"Tosh is fine," She reassured before he could ask. He breathed a sigh of relief. Scarlet continued. "A reliable source tells me you have water pistols in your possession."

"I'm assuming that source is Jack?"

"Yup."

Ianto sighed. "He was supposed to keep quiet about them."

"Why?" asked Scarlet, her expression a mixture of amusement and interest.

"Well we...er...it's best not to misuse a water pistol, in the wrong hands they can lead to no good."

Scarlet raised her eyebrows.

"Anyway, they're in the cupboard under the sink, I'll get them for you."

* * *

Jenny and Owen both had their heads down, trying to look busy. They stood on opposite sides of the room, each trying, and failing, to ignore the other. Jenny listened to Owen's inaudible mutterings under his breath, as he moved from Tosh to the machines, back to Tosh again. She was almost certain she'd heard her name in there, at least twice. She couldn't help but wonder what he had said about her. _Probably some petty comment about me being an inadequate doctor_, she thought to herself. She tried desperately to focus on the digits displayed on the screen she was supposed to be monitoring, but her mind kept wandering back to when Owen had held her hand. What worried her was the fact that it had been _subconscious. _She hadn't even realised it was happening until Scarlet had pointed it out. And thinking back to it, she realised it had felt, well, nice. Natural, even. _It was a comfort thing, _she told herself, _it was supposed to feel natural._ But she still could help feeling flustered at the memory of the feeling of his hand over hers. 

She glanced behind her, to where Owen was working. Only he wasn't working, he was looking at her. Their eyes met, and neither one found themselves able to look away. Then came loud footsteps and chattering voices from above them, and Scarlet and Ianto were standing by the rail. Jenny let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and tore her eyes from Owen to look at the others.

"I feel like I'm seven again," Ianto said, oblivious to the intrusion he'd just made. He was wielding a small, bright-orange coloured water pistol. As he held it up to the light, the thin plastic showed the shadow of the murky grey antidote within the pistol. Scarlet held two similar water pistols - one green, one blue.

"One guess who that's for," Owen said, indicating the larger water pistol that Ianto held in his other hand. It was at least twice as big as the other three. Ianto coughed.

"Yes, well, Jack likes the, er, bigger water pistol, you know what he's like." He coughed again, avoiding eye contact with the other three, all of whom were smiling at Ianto's rapidly reddening face. "Are we going?" He turned to Scarlet.

Scarlet smiled and looked down at Jenny and Owen. "We're taking the SUV. Tell us if she wakes up." She glanced at Tosh, who looked altogether better than she had done a while ago. "And behave yourselves." With a chuckle, she turned and walked out of the room, Ianto following suit.

Jenny and Owen stared at the empty space that Ianto and Scarlet had just left. There was silence in the room, save for the steady beep of machines.

"Owen?" Jenny broke the silence, looking towards the other doctor. He turned back to his work.

"Yeah?" He said, not looking up. She took a breath.

"I'm glad you were right about the device."

"Yeah, well we all are, Jenny. It's a good thing there's a proper doctor at Torchwood, not just some pathologist who likes to pretend she can look after things that aren't dead, isn't it?" He pressed a button on a machine behind him, still refusing to look at Jenny. "Otherwise Tosh would be dead by now."

Jenny laughed in utter disbelief. All her confusion from the past few minutes disappeared with every word he said. She stared at the back of his head with something nearing contempt, struggling to find something to say.

"You're a bloody self-righteous bastard, you know that?" She said eventually. Owen didn't even flinch. He merely raised his eyebrows. Annoyed by this lack of response, Jenny turned away, her fists clenched. _Bastard. __

* * *

_

For the third time that day, the black SUV pulled up by the pier - though it was considerably better driven with Ianto behind the wheel. Jack and Gwen weren't there when Scarlet and Ianto jumped out, but seconds after they'd closed the doors Jack's voice rang in their ears.

"I hope you two have got those water pistols. We've just seen the alien, heading for the Ferry Docks. We'll meet you there."

Scarlet glanced down the coastline. The docks weren't too far away - about a minute if they ran. Ianto seemed to be thinking the same thing. They broke into a run, Scarlet grimacing as she did so. Running wasn't one of her strong points.

She was out of breath by the time they reached the docks. As they approached, they saw Jack and Gwen come sprinting towards them. Scarlet stopped running, smiling in greeting as Jack and Gwen stopped by them.

"You get used to it, Scarlet, don't worry," Gwen grinned, watching the redhead trying to catch her breath. Scarlet half-laughed, half-wheezed, handing Gwen the blue water pistol. Ianto handed Jack the larger water pistol. Jack looked like a young child for a moment, his face lighting up as he noticed he had the largest gun.

"Right, the alien is in the water somewhere, Gwen and I saw it jump in. I say we're best off waiting back a bit for it to come out, so it has no chance of sneaking up on us."

"Um...yeah, you might want to hold that thought Jack." said Gwen, nodding at something behind Jack. All three of the others turned to see the alien climbing up onto the decking. It was quite disturbing to watch. The way it moved, flowing but strangely staggered. It was quite literally like seeing a liquid try to move, each movement it made looked as though it risked collapsing into a puddle. It made the eerie gurgling noise again and raised its arm.

"Shoot! Now!" Jack ordered.

All four of them pulled the triggers on their water pistols, aiming their jets of antidote at the alien. It jerked back, its mouth open in a gurgling scream. The places where the antidote had hit were turning from near-black to a deep red colour, slightly darker than blood. Then they started to dissolve, spreading rapidly, causing great holes in the alien's body.

It staggered forwards slightly, twisting its arm but seemingly unable to shoot a dart. It seemed oblivious to the screaming pedestrians surrounding it, as were the Torchwood team, slowly advancing towards the screeching alien. Thinking in unison, all four pulled the triggers on their water pistols again, sending streams of the grey chemical towards the weakening alien. It stopped mid-stagger and was suddenly silent.

The team lowered their weapons, slightly confused as the alien stood, motionless and silent, gaping holes fizzing away in its body. It arched its head back and tried to gather the last of its strength to move forward again, but simply collapsed onto the ground. Unable to move, it lay where it was, the red colour bleeding through its body, leaving a trail of destruction behind it.

Jack, Gwen, Ianto and Scarlet simply watched as the last of the living poison dissolved, leaving no trace that it had ever been there. They stared at the space for a moment.

"Interesting," Jack said, slinging his gun over his shoulder. "Drink, anyone?"

* * *

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" 

"I will be _fine_, Ianto, for the last time!" Tosh sighed, running her hands through her hair and raising her glass defiantly to her lips and draining the contents. Ianto watched her, brow furrowed in a worried expression.

"You only woke up two hours ago," He said. Tosh had woken up soon after he and Scarlet had left the hub, and was back to normal by the time they returned.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Ianto, leave her alone," Jenny called from further down the bar, where she sat with Scarlet. She chuckled, noticing that Ianto was the only one without a drink - even Scarlet had one, and she didn't drink much. Ianto glanced at Jenny with a frown, and Tosh turned to her with a smile, rolling her eyes.

As Tosh turned again towards the bar to order another drink, Jenny turned back to her conversation with Scarlet. "He was a complete arsehole today." She continued.

"And this is different from Owen's normal behaviour how?" Scarlet replied, raising her eyebrows slightly and taking a sip of her drink. Jenny smiled.

"No, worse than usual," She said, glancing down the bar at Owen. "You know what he said to me earlier, just after you left with Ianto?" Scarlet didn't reply, so Jenny continued. She repeated the comment he'd made earlier. Scarlet's reaction was similar to Jenny's initial reaction - a look of utter disbelief, clenched fists, a glare directed towards Owen.

"I think it's time to find out what's in my bag again," She said after a moment of thought. She dug her hand into her back and withdrew a small bottle, stained dark brown, with a clear-coloured liquid swilling around inside. She smiled almost evilly, checking that Owen wasn't watching her. He wasn't.

"What's that?" Jenny asked, eyeing the bottle curiously.

"You'll see," Scarlet replied. "Just get it into some vodka and get Owen to drink it. You don't need much, but don't put it in anything other than vodka, it makes it go a bit dodgy."

Jenny looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned wickedly. She called to the others, who were scattered along the bar.

"Right okay, who's up for a drinking game?"

Owen looked up immediately, Jack and Gwen, who had been chatting quietly to each other, turned with interest, and both Ianto and Tosh looked slightly worried.

"Come on, we need to liven things up a bit, we all look so dead." She and Scarlet got up and moved over to a round table in the corner. It was slightly on the small side, but everyone managed to squash in around it. Jenny got up and went to the bar, returning shortly with a bottle of still water, a bottle of straight vodka, and seven shot glasses.

"What game do you have in mind?" asked Jack curiously, who was squeezed in between Gwen and Ianto.

"I thought Where's The Water, because we can play that with only a small amount of alcohol, seeing as we've all had a bit to drink before this anyway." Jenny said as she poured the shots and sat herself between Scarlet and Owen.

Ianto cleared his throat.

"Except Ianto." Jenny added.

Ianto smiled nervously. "How do you play this game exactly?"

"There's seven shots, six of them are just water, one of them is vodka. We each have to take a glass, and drink it."

"But, to make it more exciting, the one who gets the vodka has to do a truth or dare," Scarlet added, smiling. While the attention had been on Jenny, Scarlet had tipped a small measure of the liquid in the bottle into the vodka shot.

"Seems easy enough." smiled Tosh.

"Just get on with it," grumbled Owen.

Jenny smiled and began to mix up the order of the glasses. Once she was satisfied that they were mixed up enough, she handed each person a glass. The glass with the vodka in it had a slight chip on the rim. She made sure that one was handed to Owen.

"Ready?" She asked, raising her glass. The others followed suit. "Drink." They each tipped the liquid into their mouths and slammed the glasses back down on the table.

"Water," Jack said, sounding almost disappointed as he put his glass down. "Who got the vodka?"

"I did," Owen said. Jenny and Scarlet exchanged a glance, smiling. "Get on with it, then. I choose truth."

The others looked at each other, thinking. Scarlet opened her mouth to say something, but Tosh got there first.

"What was the best dream you had lately?" Not exactly the probing question Scarlet had hoped for, but it would do.

Owen thought for a moment.

"The one I had the other night about being locked in a freezer with Jenny." He answered. Jenny looked at him quizzically but remained silent. "She was naked." He continued.

Scarlet laughed, covering her mouth in an attempt to keep quiet. Jenny's eyes had widened and she had opened her mouth to say something, but Owen was still talking.

"She's really quite attractive when she's naked, you know. Then we were snogging, and she took off my shirt..."

"OKAY, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE." Jenny, her face red, cried out, covering her ears and shaking her head as if it would dislodge the idea from her mind. Everyone else was laughing, partly at Jenny, but mostly at Owen.

Owen jumped slightly as if he had broken from a trance and began to go red - and it took a lot to make Owen blush. "I didn't mean to say that," He said, his eyes widening slightly.

"That is slightly disturbing," Jack chuckled, ignoring Jenny's indignant cries of '_Slightly_?!'. "And very revealing. Are you sure that was vodka?"

"Vodka," Scarlet said, holding up the bottle from her bag. "And this." She looked at Owen, smirking. "A bit like truth serum - except more powerful. Let's just say that tonight we could learn more than we want to about Doctor Owen Harper. And, more importantly, more than _he_ wants us to." She shook the bottle. "Next time, Owen, think carefully before you piss off the best friend of a chemist."

Owen looked annoyed. Severely annoyed. He glared at Scarlet, who merely laughed harder.

Toshiko laughed a little weaker than the others, her expression revealing that she felt slightly peeved and slightly upset by the dream Owen had talked about. She still liked Owen...less than before, but it was still there. It was so frustrating watching him screw women he didn't even know, and then having to listen to him complaining about being lonely. Didn't he realise she had been right there waiting for him all these years? So there she was, unable to get any date for herself, watching Owen pick up a different woman every night. And then Jenny comes in, isn't even nice to him, and Owen falls for her straight away. He'd fall for any pretty face. _He just finds her attractive - it doesn't mean he loves her. Doesn't mean she's any different from any other woman he lusts after. _She sighed and looked down at her drink.

"So, Owen, ever worn women's underwear?" Jack smirked. All attention was focused on Owen. Jack leaned back in his chair, stretching his arm around Gwen (who received a jealous look from Ianto) and waited for Owen's answer.

"Twice that I can remember," Owen said, cringing even as he spoke. He couldn't stop himself talking. He mentally cursed Scarlet. "Thongs are bloody uncomfortable, you know that? I don't know how you put up with them. Honestly. Knickers, on the other hand, aren't too bad, and I quite enjoyed wearing the bra." _Stop talking, Owen, you have the willpower. Just shut up._ "It wasn't even a dare, I just felt like doing it." _You _s_tupid idiot._

After half an hour, and two more rounds of drinks, they had learned many things about Owen - among other things, that he hadn't (as he had claimed for the past few years) ever kissed Naomi Campbell (not that they had really believed him in the first place), that his childhood teddy was still propped up against his wardrobe and that he had had a huge crush on Madonna at the age of 14. Owen had asked several times when the questions would stop, but every time he had been ignored and the interrogation had continued.

"How many actual girlfriends have you had?"

Owen sighed again. "Depends what you define as girlfriend." He thought for a moment. "There have been three girls that I've been out with for more than a couple of months, though. Two of them were during secondary school. My love-life basically consists of one-night stands." He took a sip of the drink in front of him. "The third cheated on me, so I kind of gave up on long-term relationships." He smiled at the silence that followed.

"How about boyfriends?" Jack broke the silence quickly and Owen's smile faded slightly.

"No, Jack, that's you. I have never had a boyfriend." Owen rolled his eyes. "How many have you had?" He continued, eager to direct a question away from himself for once.

Jack considered for a moment. "Fifty-six."

"Girlfriends?" Gwen asked.

"One hundred and twenty-two," He replied, then grinned as they all raised their eyebrows. "Hey, I've been alive for a very long time. And you can't tell me you could resist this face," His smile widened.

"Fifty-six boyfriends, one hundred and twenty-two girlfriends," Tosh repeated, draining her fourth glass and earning another worried look from Ianto. She ignored him.

"And eleven otherwise," Jack nodded. There was another stunned silence.

"I really don't think I want to know," Owen said, finishing his own drink. Jack laughed. "What about everyone else?"

"Four boyfriends in total," Tosh spoke first, her shyness lessened as a result of the alcohol. "And one girlfriend slash alien."

"Eight," Gwen said slowly, thinking back and re-counting."Yeah, eight. Boyfriends, that is."

"Eight boyfriends as well," Ianto said casually, getting a surprised glance from most of the team. "And four girlfriends."

"You've had _twelve_ partners?" Owen asked (after a painfully long moment of mental addition), wide-eyed. "_Ianto_?" Ianto nodded and shrugged at the same time. He glanced around the table at the stunned faces. Jack looked slightly amused. He noticed that Scarlet didn't look too shocked either - though she had gone slightly pale and had a strange expression on her face.

"Before I got the job in forensics, I had quite a good love-life," Jenny said. "I had five _proper_ boyfriends. But then I had to work loads, so I didn't have as much time for boyfriends. After I started that job, I only had one other boyfriend." She wrinkled her nose slightly. Gwen, Tosh and Ianto nodded in agreement, Owen raised his eyebrows and Jack just looked confused. They glanced at Scarlet, who had her attention fixed on her still half-filled glass, expecting her to answer next. She remained silent.

"What about you, Scarlet?"

Silence. Scarlet looked as if she were going to be sick. They watched her for a moment. Jack opened his mouth to ask if she was okay, but she finally spoke.

"I need some air." She said simply, standing up and hurrying outside before any of them could say another word or try to stop her. Their eyes followed her out of the door, then looked back at each other in confusion as the double doors closed behind her. No-one spoke for what seemed hours.

"What was that about?" Gwen finally broke the silence. "Should someone go outside with her?"

"She'll be fine," Jenny said, watching the door and sighing.

"She can't be throwing up because of the alcohol, she's only drunk half a glass." Ianto commented, eyeing the glass on the table.

"No, she's not drunk," Jenny took a sip of her own drink. "Scarlet doesn't really have much luck with boyfriends."

"She can hardly have had less than me or Owen," Tosh said. Owen frowned some, but Tosh just shrugged. "You said it yourself."

Jenny gave her a meaningful look.

"What, only one or two?" Tosh said, sounding genuinely shocked. Owen's eyes showed a slightly spiteful smile.

"Scarlet is a genius, she always has been." Jenny sighed. "All through her life, she's been one step ahead of everyone else. But it doesn't come without its bad side, like everything else." She took a breath and looked up as the doors opened - but it wasn't Scarlet, so she continued. "She's never had a boyfriend. Not one."

Even Owen's smile faded slightly. Once again, no-one said anything.

"I'll go and talk to her," Jenny spoke again, her voice slightly quieter. She finished off her drink, stood up and left the table. Behind her, she heard Jack sigh and suggest another round of drinks to get the conversation going again.

* * *

It was surprisingly quiet outside. Jenny silently thanked Jack for picking one of the less-known bars in Cardiff as she quickly picked out Scarlet sitting on a bench not too far from the entrance. She sat down beside her. Scarlet smiled weakly. 

"You told them, didn't you?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yeah," Jenny replied, leaning her head back to look at the night sky. No stars. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Scarlet said, looking upwards too. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jenny spoke.

"You want to go back inside?" Scarlet shrugged, but didn't reply. Jenny stood up. "I'm not _nearly_ drunk enough yet. I still have an image of me and Owen in a freezer in my head."

Scarlet laughed and stood too. "Come on, then. It's too cold out here, anyway." She smiled. It never ceased to amaze her how the mere presence of a best friend could cheer you up - they didn't have to say anything, they didn't have to do much - just be there. And before long, there'd be a smile back on your face. "Sorry," She said, stretching her arm slightly. "I just...hate those conversations." Jenny smiled and shrugged at the same time.

"You haven't even finished your first drink," She changed the subject, walking towards the entrance. Scarlet followed.

* * *

The scene behind the door had changed dramatically. Tosh and Ianto were at the bar, talking - well, more slurring in Tosh's case, and more worried nagging in Ianto's. They couldn't hear the words over the music, but they could see his mouth form the occasional comprehensible word or phrase; "Are you sure you should be drinking?", "Stop". 

Their eyes moved over to the table around which the group had been previously sat. There were now only two people sitting there - Jenny and Scarlet's eyebrows raised as their gaze fell on Gwen and Jack. Gwen was practically sitting on top of Jack, whose arms were wrapped round her waist to prevent her from sliding off. Gwen's hands, in the mean time, were drunkenly fumbling at Jack's shirt buttons, but not actually succeeding in anything other than making Jack giggle slightly, which must have been difficult as Gwen's tongue was stuck down his throat.

Scarlet coughed, and both she and Jenny adverted their eyes. Scarlet turned back to looking at Tosh, who was now sitting sprawled on the floor (apparently she had fallen off her stool), while Ianto desperately tugged at her arm, obviously embarrassed at the attention she was causing them. She turned when she heard Jenny swear quietly under her breath. She was staring across the pub, to where a couple were making out in the corner. As the pair turned slightly, Scarlet almost laughed when she saw it was Owen with some girl she'd never seen before, and was pretty sure Owen hadn't either for that matter. She looked back at Jenny who was by now seething.

"Jealous?" Scarlet rose up on her toes and spoke closer to Jenny's ear. Jenny looked away from the scene in the corner.

"No," She said indignantly, her face colouring slightly. "He's just...it's..." She struggled to find something to say. Scarlet laughed.

"Okay, Jenny," Still chuckling, she walked up to the bar, where Ianto had managed to get Tosh back onto her stool. "We weren't even gone very long," She commented, moving Tosh's drink out of her reach. Tosh moaned slightly, but was too drunk to do anything else. Jenny appeared next to Scarlet, her attention still on Owen and the girl in the corner. She reached for Tosh's drink and took a sip, not noticing it wasn't hers.

Ianto sighed, looking slightly annoyed. His attention was distracted too - but by Gwen and Jack at the table. Gwen had given up on the shirt buttons and had now just wrapped her arms around Jack's neck.

There was a thud and Ianto, Scarlet and Jenny looked down at the floor, where Tosh was once again laying, giggling hysterically.

"That is IT!" Ianto shouted, bending down again to pick up Tosh. He suddenly thought better of it and straightened up. "We're leaving RIGHT NOW!" Scarlet and Jenny watched shocked as Ianto stormed over towards Gwen and Jack. With slightly more force than he really needed to use, he pulled Gwen off of Jack and held the couple apart. Scarlet and Jenny couldn't help but giggle at the expressions on their faces - surprise at Ianto's actions, and slight embarrassment at their own as they realised what they had been doing.

But Ianto hadn't finished. Pulling Gwen to her feet, he directed her towards the group at the bar. She wobbled towards them, and Jack followed suit - though a lot less drunkenly than Gwen, Jenny noted with a smile.

Ianto, satisfied that Gwen and Jack were dealt with, moved towards Owen and the blonde in the corner. Owen looked up as Ianto appeared above him.

"We're leaving," Ianto said, matter-of-factly, reaching out to grab Owen's arm and pull him up. Owen moved his arm out of the way and took a quick glance at the blonde - who looked half-drunk, half-disappointed that the stranger she was kissing had to leave - before looking back at Ianto and pursing his lips.

"I," He began, his eyelids fluttering drunkenly. "Am a little busy at the moment." The blonde giggled. "So if you could please..."

"I'm not leaving you here, Owen, like it or not."

"Then you'll just have to wait a few minutes, won't you?"

"_Now_."

Owen sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sorry, darlin'," He said to the blonde, giving her a peck on the lips and standing up. He swayed slightly momentarily, but righted himself and walked off, not looking back towards the girl. Ianto glanced at her. She didn't look too worried. He, too, walked off in the direction of the bar.

As he arrived, Scarlet and Jenny, stifling their laughter, gave him a small round of applause. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a small smile, which faded as quickly as it had appeared when Jenny staggered slightly on the spot. He sighed and bent down yet again to pick up Tosh. Cradling the near-unconscious (but still giggling) woman in his arms, he turned to Scarlet.

"The keys to the SUV are in my left pocket. You seem to be the only sober one, so you can open the doors for me so I can put Tosh down."

Scarlet reached into said pocket and drew out the keys.

"I'm sober," Jenny said. Scarlet looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Jenny glared back, but then seemed to realise that Scarlet was probably right and merely shrugged.

"Right, let's go."

* * *

Tosh fell asleep in the SUV - after five minutes of non-stop chatter that had merely worsened Ianto's headache, she was snoring in the front seat. _She is going to have a hell of a headache in the morning, _Ianto thought to himself as she snored again and wriggled slightly in her seat. _At least she's not talking anymore_. 

It wasn't very loud in the back, either. Jack and Gwen either didn't want to talk, or were too drunk to form actual words, Owen was staring at Jenny with a strange expression on his face and was sulkily refusing to talk, Jenny felt dizzy and had her head tilted upwards, breathing deeply and Scarlet was trying not to laugh at their drunkenness.

She glanced at Owen, trying to work out what the expression on his face was, then followed his eyeline. She covered her mouth, trying not to laugh as she realised what he was looking at.

"Er, Jenny?" She said quietly, nudging the girl beside her. Jenny grunted in reply, groggily turning to look at the redhead. Scarlet took her jacket off and handed it to Jenny. "I'd lay this across your chest if I were you."

"But I'm not cold," Jenny said, furrowing her brow sleepily.

Scarlet coughed. "No, but Owen," She glanced at him - he hadn't flinched. "Is...admiring your, ahem, _necklace_," She finished, giving Jenny a meaningful look.

Jenny's eyes widened and she looked at Owen. She, too, followed his eyeline. She grabbed the jacket from Scarlet and laid it over her chest. Owen frowned and looked up.

"Hey, I was looking at that."

* * *

**Sorry it's so long, we get a bit carried away. Please please review, it makes us all warm and happy inside D**


	3. Chapter Two

**Intro bit**

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Torchwood (unfortunately - well, fortunately for Owen, becauseImogen would be all over him like a shot). We do, however, own Jenny Winters, Scarlet Dawson, Lauren, the police detectives and the forensic dudes. Also, we're not chemists or forensic scientists, so don't be picky about the details. We're just using our imaginations (and occasionally Wikipedia). 

**Shameless Begging:** Please, please review. Tell us how to improve, or tell us we're wonderful. We want to know how we're doing. Flames, however, will just be laughed at, so if you're posting a negative review, make it better by offering _constructive _criticism. Thankyoumuchly! 

Also, please keep in mind that we get ridiculously excited when people review, favourite or put this on story alert. And we do try to put in stuff people advise us about. So make your good deed for the day making two girls jump for joy when you do something like that. Honestly, we do actually get quite hyper. 

Thank you _lots_ to the people who have done this, you made us happy : D 

**Apologies:** That this one is a bit shorter than the last one (which could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it). Also, for some reason it decided to screw up the spaces and new lines, so if you see a space missing, that's why. 

**This chapter contains:** Moderate language, laziness, shameless clichés, strange rodents and more groin-related injuries (slightly harder than last time, but still minor). 

**Summary**

Torchwood recruit two new members. How will they fare as alienhunters? Romance, humour and psychotic women out to get Owen's privates. OCs, but all the other characters are there as well. Rated for language, violence and themes. Mostly Owen/OC and some Jack/Gwen. 

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Jack?" Tosh's voice rang out over the unusually quite halls of the hub. Nothing else was heard for a moment otherthan the clattering of feet against metal grills signalling that Jack had heard her. 

He was two flights of stairs down (what exactly he was doing Tosh didn't know), but it only took him a few seconds to reach the source of the call. Tosh stood, yet again, at the computer screens, their blueish glow illuminating her features and reflecting off her glasses. 

"Something at the hospital," She said as he appeared behind her. She pressed a few keys. "Rift activity, and hospital staff reported all their blood supplies have been tampered with. Going missing, and a few have...well, turned blue." 

"Blue?" Jack said, raising his eyebrows. Tosh brought up the screen showing the rift activity. 

"Blue," She confirmed, finally turning to face him. "One of the nurses claims to have seen something," The eye contact was brief as Tosh turned back to the monitors and tapped on the keyboard. A window came up on the screen, showing a photograph of a young woman with shoulder-length mousy-brown hair, wearing a nurse's uniform,alongside a section of text. "Catrin James, twenty-three years old. Been working at the hospital for about a year." 

Jack examined the profile for a few moments. "I'll go talk to her." Just as he was raising his hand to his ear to use the com, the sound of smashing glass drifted up from downstairs, followed quickly by Jenny's voice. 

"Owen!" She screeched. Jack smiled. "You _idiot_!" 

"Well I wouldn't have bloody dropped it if you hadn't bored me to sleep blathering on about whatever it was you were talking about!" Owen shouted back. 

"Blathering!" Jack could just imagine Jenny's face as she screamed again. "I was not _blathering_!" 

"Hate to break it up, you two," Jack said on the com. The argument stopped abruptly. "But we have to go somewhere." 

Silence. 

"With Owen?" Jenny, standing in the medical room and glaring at Owen, wrinkled her nose. 

"Yes, with Owen. Because I know how much you love each other." 

Scarlet heard him say this as she entered her lab and laughed. Jenny pursed her lips, wishing she could mute the coms. As it was, she couldn't, so she said nothing. 

"Where?" Owen said, bringing his heel down on a shard of glass, crunching it under his foot in an attempt to annoy Jenny. It worked. 

"Can't someone else go?" Jenny pleaded, clenching her fists and trying to breathe deeply. She had only been at work for a couple of hours, but Owen had managed to piss her off already. To a staggering degree. It was taking nearly all her will power not to launch herself across the medical room and jab his eyes out with one of the shards of glass that now lay scattered across the floor. 

"No, it's a hospital. Blood supplies being tampered with." Jack replied. Jenny sighed as Owen crushed another chunk of glass. "It'll be good bonding time, anyway." 

She could hear Tosh laughing from upstairs. _How can they find this funny?_She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to decide against it, and silently pushed past Owen and stalked away up the stairs. Owen gingerly rubbed his arm where Jenny had shoved him out of her way rather harder than necessary, then turned and followed her.The others avoided eye contact with each other, as an attempt to hold in their laughter. After a moment Scarlet let out a small cough and reminded Jack that he was supposed to be going with them. 

Jack said his hasty good-byes, reminding Ianto to have the coffee made for their return, before hurrying after Owen and Jenny. He grimaced as he stepped out into the icy rain falling from the Cardiff skies. _Bloody rain... never stops._

When Jack reached the SUV he found Jenny sitting in the front passenger seat with a smug look on her face, waving the car keys at Owen from behind the glass window. 

"She's locked me out," whined Owen, his hair already soaked through. "I'm freezing my arse off out here, and the bitch won't let me in." 

Jenny, who had unlocked the doors when she had seen Jack approaching, stuck her head out and said "He had the cheek to insult _my_ driving skills, when he feels the need to travel at 80 miles an hour when he's just going to the shop to get tea bags." 

"Oh just pack it in, both of you, and let me get out of this bloody rain." Jack snapped, though he was smirking. He walked round and climbed into the drivers seat, as Owen attempted to pull Jenny out of the passenger seat. 

"Shift your arse, woman, that's my seat." 

Jenny squeaked and kicked out, her high heel leaving a wet dirty mark on his jacket. 

"Owen, in the back." said Jack without even looking up. 

"But-" 

"Now." 

* * *

The rain was relentless - it soaked through their hair and clothes even in the short distance across the car park to the hospital. They stepped through the double doors into the hospital interior, Jenny with her arms folded tightly across her chest. She had made sure that Jack was standing in between her and Owen. 

_Of course, I had to choose today, didn't I? _She sighed, her hand picking at the soaked white cloth of her shirt. She saw Owen glance at her out of the corner of her eye, but ignored it. 

"I'm going to go stand under the hand-dryer," She announced, stalking off in the direction of the women's toilets. As she left, Jack and Owen exchanged a look and simultaneously rolled their eyes. She disappeared behind a door and they could hear the faint whirr of the hand-dryer. 

She reappeared about five minutes later, considerably dryer. The two men, who had sat down while they were waiting for her, stood up. 

"Catrin should be doing her rounds on floor five, apparently." Jack glanced over Jenny's shoulder as he spoke, looking at a small floor plan drawn up on the wall. "She mainly works in this ward, so she'll probably be around here," He continued, pointing to a ward on the map. 

Owen looked closer. "Haematology," He read. "Sounds like fun." 

* * *

The woman sitting behind the desk at the door of the Haematology ward looked up at the sound of their footsteps. 

"You here to visit someone?" she asked, in a slightly bored voice. 

"Sort of. We're here to see a nurse - Catrin James." Jack answered. 

The woman raised her eyebrows slightly. "One second." she said, before turning and walking out through a door behind her. When she returned she was with a young nurse with mousy hair. 

"Hello Catrin," said Jack, "We're from Torchwood." Catrin blushed as Jack shook her hand."It was reported to us that you saw something odd around the location where the blood stores were tampered with, do you think you could show us?" 

"Um, yeah, its along here, if you want to follow me..." stuttered Catrin, not taking her eyes off Jack. Owen and Jenny rolled their eyes at each other as Jack flashed Catrinone of his winning smiles. 

The three of them followed the nurse to a door leading off the ward. She punched a code into the panel at the side, then pushed it open and lead them into a room full of hospital equipment. She walked past a line of intravenous drips, towards a heavy metal door in the back wall. She opened it, pushing one of the drips against the door to keep it open, to reveal a small cupboard-likefridge built into the wall,with a tall rack inside where small clear bags were hanging. However, the bags were not filled with blood -in fact, most of them were not filled with anything.Only the top row actually had liquid inside, but it didn't look like blood at all. It was a blueish colour, and much thicker than blood. All the bags had rough holes torn in them, though the bags on the top row had slightly smaller holes and were only leaking slightly, and drops of the same blue-coloured liquid were dripping slowly from the plastic and landing on the floor. 

"That rack is usually full of blood, but I came in to sort through the supplies this morning and it was like that." said Catrin, who seemed to have gotten over Jack presence quickly enough. "I was about to pull the rack out whenI heard this squeaking noise, and looked down and I saw loads of these little furry things, towards the back of the fridge. They lookeda bit like mice, only- only they were blue." She finished quickly, looking down at her shoes. "No one even believed me until after they'd seen the supplies for themselves. They still don't believe the bit about the mice - they think I was seeing things. I was actually supposed to go home about an hour ago and get some rest, but I said I was fine." 

Owen moved past Catrin and wheeled the rack of bags out. They all peered into the now empty fridge, but nothing was there other than drops of blue liquid coating the floor. 

"Looks like they've moved on," said Owen. He turned to Catrin. "I take it this isn't your only store of blood?" 

"Oh no, we keep most of it down in the big fridges in the basement. This one is only for emergency cases on this ward. "Catrin had her hands clasped together nervously, looking between Jack and the empty bags. "We turned the temperature up in here, since there's no blood left. Saves energy." 

Owen looked at Jenny and Jack. He opened his mouth to say something, then suddenly closed it, glancing pointedly atCatrin. Jack took the hint immediately. 

"Thank you," he said, turning back to Catrin, "You've been very helpful. You can go back to your work now. We'll call you again if we need you." 

Catrin gave a small smile and a nod, before walking back out to the ward. They watched her go, before turning to each other. Owen started again. 

"Almost definitely alien. In all my years of medical school, I've never heard of anything that can do _that_ to anything, especially not in one night." 

"So what are we going to do with it?" asked Jenny. "It doesn't seem like it's that dangerous, it hasn't attacked anyone or anything." 

"First we actually need to find it." Pointed out Jack."Them. Bloodsucking blue fluffy mice." 

"And we're going to need Scarlet to work out what that blue stuff is..." said Jenny thoughtfully. 

"Yeah, that's a good point." said Owen. Jenny looked at him in surprise. "Why don't you go back to the hub and pick her up, and leave the important stuff to the men who can actually do their job." 

"Owen shut-" Jack began, but was cut off by Jenny. 

"Well that would be better than getting _you_ to go, at least I can drive! You know,when I was in my other job, I bet half the hit-and-run deaths that I looked at were killed in an accident that was your fault." 

"That's enough!" shouted Jack. "_I'll_ go and get Scarlet, you two stay here and look for the aliens." 

And with that Jack strode out of the room, not looking back. Jenny sighed, then pushed past Owen, not looking at him. She bent over to examine the blue drops on the floor. Owen turned and watched her -or rather, watched her backside. He grinned to himself as he saw the waist band of her black lace thong peeking out the top of her jeans. 

"Owen, come and look at this." Owen was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Jenny's voice. He checked that the drip propped up against the door was keeping it securely wedged open, then moved to where she was crouched, bending over her. He looked to where she was pointing. At the bottom of the right wall, a hole about the size of a mouse hole had been roughly cut away. If fact, it did look just like a mouse hole. The wires build into the lining of the fridge were nibbled through, and the trickling sound of a water pipe could be heard. Owen moved Jenny out of the way, pulling her out by her waist. He went into the fridge, and bent down to get a closer look at the hole. 

"Careful Owen, that liquid..." 

He looked at the floor. He had walked straight in it, he could see it on his shoes now...he shrugged. It didn't seem to be causing any harm. He went back to examining the hole. He heard, or rather felt, Jenny enter the fridge behind him. 

"See anything?" she asked softly. She was half-scared that he was going to shout at her again. 

"No..." He got up and turned to face her. "Lets try the basement." He put his finger to his ear. "Jack, we're going to look in the basement." Jack replied quickly to show he'd heard. Owen walked past her out of the fridge, moving the drip keeping the door open away as he went. He stood, holding the door open, waiting for Jenny to follow. Jenny, however, was looking down at the floor. 

"There's something blue down there," She muttered. 

"Where?" 

"In that mouse hole." She walked into the fridge, squatting down by the hole and twisting her neck so she could see into it. 

Owen strode back to her, trying to see past her head and watching the floor in case one of the mice came scuttling out. 

"Oh, it's just a cable." said Jenny after a moment, straightening up. 

However, before Owen could fully register what she had just said, they were plunged into darkness. Jenny squeaked in surprise, and Owen groaned out loud at his own stupidity - he had let the door go when he had walked in here. It had swung shut behind him, blocking out all the light. He turned and pushed on the door. Unsurprisingly, it didn't open. He felt for a handle, but there wasn't one, only cool smooth metal. 

"Shit." 

"Owen..." came Jenny's voice, sounding worried. 

"It won't open." 

"What do you meant it won't open!" 

He heard her give the door a push as well, then a shoulder, then she was kicking it repeatedly. 

"Stop!" He grabbed her shoulders to hold her still. "That door is solid metal, there's no way in hell we can break it down." 

"So what do we do then!" She wriggled away from his grip. 

"First we need light." 

Jenny pulled her phone out of her pocket. The sudden light emitting from the screen made them both blink, but at least gave them the ability to see. 

"Right..."Owen tapped at his ear piece, but was only met with a faint buzzing noise. "No signal." he muttered. 

"None on the phones either." sighed Jenny, looking at the screen. 

"God, I can't believe this..." Owen looked down at Jenny,who's face was illuminated by the light from the phone. _Why do I have to be locked in a freezer with her? _She sensed him looking, and looked up. Their eyes widened as they were both struck by the same thought. _Oh my god, the dream is becoming real._

"I am NOT taking my clothes off, Owen!" said Jenny suddenly. 

"I didn't ask you to." he snapped back. 

Neither could think of anything else to say, so they remained silent for a moment, Jenny tightening her jacket around herself. 

* * *

"Owen?" Jack pressed his finger to his ear, frowning as there was no response. "Jenny?" Mere static. 

"There might not be any signal from the basement," Scarlet said from behind him. "It might be lead-lined or something. They might keep radioactive materials down there. For cancer treatment and things." 

They were in the SUV, parked in the hospital car park. None of the team had heard anything from Jenny or Owen for about fifteen minutes. Not since they'd gone down to the basement. It wasn't like they hadn't tried to contact them, but all they got was static. 

Jack wasn't too sure about the basement theory, but they had to go look anyway, so he jumped out of the car and locked it after Scarlet had followed suit. 

* * *

"God, how could you have been so stupid!" Jenny cried for the tenth time in as many minutes. "Anyone else would have had the sense to hold the door open, but oh no, not Owen Harper, he's way too above everyone else to bother holding a door!" 

"Shut up, you're using my oxygen." Owen was now sitting on the floor, watching Jenny's dimly illuminated figure gesture wildly. 

"You don't deserve any bloody oxygen!" 

"You know you'll die too when we run out of it." Owen pointed out. "God it's hot in here," He added, removing his jacket. Jenny had done so five minutes ago. 

"Oh, and whose fault are both of those things?" Jenny screeched. 

"Will you shut your mouth, woman? I've got a headache as it is." 

Jenny took a breath. The air was thinning rapidly. She knew he was right, she shouldn't talk so much, but she was angry. Using up his air seemed to be a good revenge plan for the moment. Her own aching head was spinning and she was ridiculously hot, but she ignored it is as best she could. 

"It's your fault, Owen," She stated angrily. "It's your fault we're stuck in this bloody fridge. Because you are too high and bloody mighty to hold open a door!" 

"Hey, look-" Normally Owen would be on his feet, arguing right back at her, but today he was too hot and the air was too thin. However, with every word Jenny said, those things seemed to matter less and less. 

"And now we're stuck in here, and Jack isn't even outside to let us out!" 

That was it. He stood up and looked right at her, anger and annoyance evident on his face. 

"Well if you didn't feel the need to have your little friend with you everywhere you go, he would be! You can't even deal with a stupid case like this without running to her for help!" 

"I do NOT run to her for help! And I was handling this case fine before you locked us in this bloody thing." 

"You do! You even got her to do the dirty work to get back at me for calling you a name!" 

By this time Jenny was standing right up against Owen, anger blazing in her eyes as she looked up at his face. "I never told her to do anything! But we certainly did learn a lot that day, didn't we!" 

To this, Owen had no retort. So he did the only thing he could think of to get out of it- he kissed her. Part of him didn't even think about what he was doing, the other part of him was on fire. Though he refused to admit it to himself, he had wanted to do this for ages. It was almost likea wayto gain control over her- he was used to women lusting after him, not putting up a decent fight and throwing whatever shit he gave them back with twice the force. He wanted to know why Jenny was different, different from all the other women who would have happily given in to him.  
He put one hand in her hair, the other arm wrapped round her waist, pulling her to him. However it was over as quickly as it began when he felt Jenny pull back, pushing him away with a shocked expression on her face. She had dropped her phone during the kiss, the harsh light coming from the screen a lot dimmer now it was coming from the floor. She was breathing heavily,and wassearching desperately for something to say. 

"You didn't mean to do that, right? It was a mistake..." She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. Heplace his handunder her chin, lifting her head. 

"No it wasn't." He leant forward and kissed her again, and this time she didn't pull away. The kiss quickly became more passionate, Owen roughly pushing her against the opposite wall, hands travelling all over bodies. The heat was incredible, and when he heard Jenny mutter something against his mouth about being too hot, Owen's hands were pulling her shirt over her head in a flash. 

"That's not what I meant I wanted you to do, Owen." Her voice was staggered, and her breath was coming out in short gasps. 

He grinned, looking down at her flushed skin. He silenced her with another kiss, before she could start complaining. Her hands wound themselves around his neck, pulling at the hair at the nape of his neck. She wrapped one leg around his waist, causing him to groan and deepen the kiss further. 

Through her closed eyes, Jenny vaguely noticed that the outside world was suddenly brighter, but dismissed it. Her head was still spinning. It was probably a hallucination. The kiss was real, that much she knew, so she concentrated on that. 

Scarlet, however, definitely noticed that the freezer's contents had been illuminated. At first, she stood open-mouthed, staring, as she saw that the two people she was supposedly liberating from their dark prison were pressed up against each other, their lips locked. The look of surprise quickly melted into one of slight amusement. 

"I'll come back later, shall I?" She said. They still hadn't noticed, completely immersed in their kiss, oblivious to everything. With a laugh, Scarlet's eyes rested on Jenny's discarded white shirt. Reaching for a drip to prop the door open, she stepped cautiously into the freezer and picked the garment from the floor. "Jack?" She spoke into the coms. Jack was looking in one other wards further down the corridor. 

"You found them?" 

"You should come up here," She said, glancing again at the couple again and restraining a chuckle. She went out into the corridor to meet Jack. 

He arrived quickly, with a slightly worried expression on his face. Scarlet held up the shirt. 

"They're gone?" Jack asked, his brow furrowed. Scarlet grinned. 

"Not exactly," She stood back to let him see into the freezer. 

For a moment Jack thought he, too, was seeing things, then he realised - with joy - that he wasn't. Jenny and Owen were standing in a confined space, Jenny only half dressed, snogging. He moved closer so they could hear him, then spoke. 

"You know, when I said bonding time-" This time they heard, and jumped apart, wide-eyed. Jack grinned. "-This wasn't exactly what I had in mind." 

They stood silent for a moment, in complete shock. 

"Oh God," Jenny said eventually, looking as if she was going to throw up. She glanced at Owen, covered her mouth and ran into the corridor, grabbing her shirt from Scarlet as she passed her. 

"She just leapt on me," Owen said. "One minute we're just standing there, the next minute she's attacking my mouth." 

"You weren't putting up much of a fight," Jack pointed out. Owen ignored him. 

"Must've been the heat and the lack of oxygen or something." Owen explained. "I wasn't thinking clearly. Why else would I let that mad bitch stick her tongue in my mouth?" 

Jenny, unseen to everyone, had re-entered the room a few moments ago (having put her shirt back on), and was now staring at Owen with utter contempt. Owen turned his head slightly and saw her standing there. 

"You pretentious, stuck-up, hypocritical, sexist, contemptible, lying, self-righteous bastard, Owen Harper," With every word she said, she took another step, until she was right in front of him. She stood there for a moment, glaring up into his face, then raised a hand and slapped him hard around the face. 

His head was forced violently to the side. Even as he began to raise his head, Jenny clenched her fist and raised it, ready to send it crashing into his face. 

Scarlet reached forwards and grabbed Jenny's hand, preventing her from punching Owen. 

"Much as I know you'd like to blacken his eye, Jenny," She said calmly, tightening her grip as Jenny fought against her. "I really don't think it would accomplish much." 

Jenny ground her teeth, but relaxed and let her hand fall to her side. Scarlet let go of her arm, but still watched her cautiously. 

Owen was watching her, and although he was trying to look indifferent, it was obvious that he was in shock.A perfect red hand-mark was burned into his skin on one side of his face. As Jenny turned to walk away, he let out a small laugh, trying to sound as if he didn't care - that he found it amusing. 

Jenny didn't find it amusing. She whipped around and before anyone could stop her, she thrust her knee, once again, hard into his groin. 

"Just like old times," She hissed as he fell to the floor, doubled up. She turned around and walked away. "Mutant vampire mice, anyone?" She called back. 

* * *

They retrieved a bag from the top shelf of the freezer and took it back to the hub, where Scarlet immediately set to work identifying what exactly the blue liquid was. The usual clinking of test tubes could be heard throughout the hub as she bustled about in her cupboard-sized laboratory. 

Owen and Ianto had been sent off to the hospital, large sacks in hand, presumably to catch the mice. Gwen and Jack had gone with them to try and contain the mice. Tosh was busy looking through files on the computer to find something that would give them a clue as to what the mice actually were and Jenny had locked herself in the medical room. 

_What the hell have I done? _It wasn't the first time the question had run through her mind. She was sat on the stairs, her head resting against the wall. _It was the heat, the lack of oxygen, the darkness. _The excuses. Then the voice in the back of her mind would reply, just as all the other times these thoughts had appeared. _Or was it?_

She supposed the question she should concentrate on was the last. _Would I have done it if I had been thinking clearly?_ In fact, she had thought on this question several times, too, but hadn't liked the answer that resounded in her mind every time. _Yes. _The clarity of the answer disturbed her. 

_But that was then, and this is now._ She sighed. _You weren't thinking clearly, that's the whole point of it. Caught up in a moment. It wouldn't matter if you had all the oxygen you needed, if you had all the space you needed, if you were at just the right temperature. You can be in perfect condition and still do something utterly stupid._

_It doesn't mean you'd do it again._

She was broken from her thoughts when Scarlet began banging on the door. 

"Jenny, I know you're in there. Open the door." 

She didn't want to, but she did. She unlocked the door and allowed the chemist inside. 

"I know you're upset," Scarlet said, closing the door behind her. "But it was nothing to be worried about. I would've done the same thing if I had been in your shoes." 

Jenny raised her eyebrows. 

"Okay, so maybe _I personally_ wouldn't have done exactly the same thing, but it doesn't really matter." 

Despite herself, a small smile crept onto Jenny's lips. 

"And it could've been worse," Scarlet continued. Jenny looked confused. "I could've had a camera." 

Jenny looked unimpressed. 

"Did you actually come in here for a reason, Scarlet?" 

Scarlet grinned. "I found out what this stuff is," She held up a test tube full of the blue liquid. Jenny hadn't noticed her holding it until now. Scarlet turned the coms on and contacted Jack, ready to explain. "It's blood." 

Jenny furrowed her brow, and she could imagine everyone else doing the same. 

"But -" Four voices sounded at the same time. 

"Not exactly as we know it, obviously." Scarlet cut in. "The mice feed off the haemoglobin in the blood, so that explains why it's not red anymore." 

"But without haemoglobin blood just turns yellow," Jenny said, frowning. "Nowhere near blue." 

"Precisely. But their feeding has a side effect. They remove the haemoglobin in the blood, but while they're doing that some of the blue pigment solution in their bodies is transferred into the blood. Catrin said that the mice were blue, so the liquid's blue. The pigment solution is also quite viscous, which explains why this stuff is thicker than water." 

"Is there anything we can do for the blood?" Jack's voice. 

Scarlet considered for a moment. "Not really. You could try squeezing the mice, but I doubt it'll do much good. They need new blood supplies, really. The freezers in the basement were untouched, so the hospital should be alright for now. You just need to make sure you catch all of the mice." 

"We've nearly got all of them," Jack replied. They were using an alien device - it had come through ages ago but they had never had the chance to use it - that sent out a signal that attracted creatures of a certain size to it. They had calibrated it so that it the mice were attracted to it, then caught and gassed them as they approached. "We should be back in about half an hour." 

* * *

They brought back two bags full of unconscious mice. They unloaded them into one of the empty alien cells and left them for a while, not quite sure what else to do with them. 

Ianto returned from the cells holding one of the mice in his palm. "This one's dead," He announced, handing the blue-coloured rodent to Jenny. "Jack wants you to dissect it." 

Jenny took the mouse and carried it to the medical room, where she laid it on a tray and donned a pair of rubber gloves. She picked up a knife and began to make careful incisions into the mouse's body. 

The mice were, for all intents and purposes, like normal mice - save for the fact that they were blue and fed off the haemoglobin in blood. There were very few physical differences between the average labrat and the blue 'vampire' mice. Jenny repeated her findings to Jack over the coms. 

And even through this, Owen continued to annoy her, moving around and pushing past her in the medical room, making the occasional comment, though he wouldn't talk directly to her - it was more mutterings under his breath, or talking to other people within her earshot. Jenny refused to speak to him either, but he was really pissing her off. 

As she began to clear up the remains of the mouse, Owen looked over her shoulder and wrinkled his nose. 

"You feel so much more at home with dead things, don't you?" He muttered. 

She slammed the tray down. "You bloody clear up, Owen, I've had enough." She stormed out of the room, grabbing her coat from a peg on the way past. "I'm going home," She shouted, running up the stairs and out into the tourist office, ignoring Ianto's confused look. She opened the door and stepped out into the street. It was still raining. 

_Oh, deep joy._

* * *

**We wrote this one fast, eh? XD**

**Yay for mutant vampire mice!**

**Reviewww --brainwashes--**


	4. Nightshift

Intro bit

This isn't really a proper chapter - it's shorter, and doesn't have much alien-catching in it, so we just called it 'Nightshift'. It has lots of a certain pairing in it. Lizbug, avert your eyes now, it'll probably freak you out.

It's not all romanticky crap, though, they have an argument too, which is quite fun. And there are bits with weevils in. Hooray for weevils.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Torchwood (unfortunately - well, fortunately for Owen, because Imogen would be all over him like a shot). We do, however, own Jenny Winters, Scarlet Dawson and all the other random dudes you don't know from Torchwood. Also, we're not chemists or forensic scientists, so don't be picky about the details. We're just using our imaginations (and occasionally Wikipedia).

**Shameless Begging:** Please, please review. Tell us how to improve, or tell us we're wonderful. We want to know how we're doing. Flames, however, will just be laughed at, so if you're posting a negative review, make it better by offering _constructive _criticism. Thankyoumuchly!

Also, please keep in mind that we get ridiculously excited when people review, favourite or put this on story alert. And we do try to put in stuff people advise us about. So make your good deed for the day making two girls jump for joy when you do something like that. Honestly, we do actually get quite hyper.

Thank you _lots_ to the people who have done this, you made us happy =D

**Apologies:** For some reason it decided to screw up the spaces and new lines, so if you see a space missing, that's why.

**This chapter contains:** Ridiculous amounts of a certain pairing, moderate language, attempted weevil psychology and implied...things. It's not that bad, honest.

**Summary**

Torchwood recruit two new members. How will they fare as alienhunters? Romance, humour and psychotic women out to get Owen's privates. OCs, but all the other characters are there as well. Rated for language, violence and themes. Mostly Owen/OC and some Jack/Gwen.

* * *

**Nightshift**

_"Jenny, Owen, you're on the nightshift."_

She could still hear the words ring through her head. Jenny leant back in her chair, listening to the empty silence of the hub.

_"What?!" Two voices crying out. Jack was smiling._

The two doctors hadn't spoken to each other since two days previously, when they had been found kissing in a freezer on the Haematology Ward of Cardiff General. An odd place to share a kiss - and an odd person to share it with, as Jenny and Owen had been arguing and bickering ever since they first met. It was a rare moment when they weren't at each others' throats.

Yet there they had been.

And Owen, being the tactless bastard he is, had managed to piss Jenny less than a minute after he'd been sharing saliva with her. Not a good idea, as his face and his groin soon found out when they felt the full force of Jenny's annoyance.

But Jack, in his twisted mind, seemed to think they still liked each other - apparently he hadn't noticed that they hadn't spoken in two days, save for the occasional snide comment or cutting remark. And now he wanted to play cupid.

Of course, Jenny and Owen hadn't actually realised this at first. It was only after Jenny had thought back to the smile on Jack's face that she realised the meaning behind it. She wasn't sure if Owen had realised, but she doubted it. Since when did Owen notice anything that wasn't shoved under his nose?

Jack had left shortly after that - Jenny had overheard him offering to buy Gwen a drink on the way out. She came to the conclusion that Jack was in a rather romantic mood (well, as romantic as Jack got) that evening after seeing the two of them leave together, Jack trying to snake his arm around Gwen.

And so here she was, sitting on a chair in the space Tosh so often occupied - in front of the monitors. She lazily glanced at them every now and again, but doubted that much would happen. It rarely did on her nightshifts. The hub seemed empty. Owen was downstairs, doubtless locked in the medical room testing out some alien device that he believed was a surgical instrument (yet would probably eventually turn out to be a weapon used to destroy planets).

Normally Scarlet would still be in her lab for another hour or two, cataloguing all the chemicals Torchwood had collected over the years, but today Jack had forced her to go home.

Jenny herself didn't have much to do. Someone was supposed to keep an eye on the monitors, anyway, and she wanted to distance herself from Owen as much as possible. Even the thought of his name made her shudder slightly. She remembered what he'd said at the hospital the other day.

_"Why else would I let that mad bitch stick her tongue in my mouth?"_

She pursed her lips. _It was the other way round, _she thought.

But she didn't want to think about that.

A door opened downstairs. Footsteps clashed against metal grill. Owen appeared at the top of the stairs.

"I told you it was a surgic..." He stopped himself halfway through the sentence, remembering that he wasn't supposed to be talking to her. Jenny looked at him with distaste, raising an eyebrow. Never one to retreat, Owen didn't go back downstairs to the medical room - instead, he put the device he was holding down on a chair, then proceeded to check the monitors. He knew it would annoy Jenny to do something she'd already done.

Wanting to get away from Owen, Jenny stood up and descended the stairs with the intent of checking the alien cells. The sound of her feet on the metal of the stairs rang through the hub, still silent save for the slight hum of machines.

The lack of activity continued even in the alien cells. The few weevils that they had locked up looked almost bored, creeping round their glass prisons and throwing Jenny glances as she walked past. She walked round a few times, but there was only so long you could look at a weevil, so she went back upstairs.

_Then again, maybe the weevils were better, _she thought when confronted with the sight of Owen. He was sitting in _her_ chair, doing _her_ job of checking the monitors - and he was drinking _her_ coffee.

"Owen, what the hell are you doing?!"

Owen ignored her and went on looking at the monitors.

All the ideas of not speaking to him went out of the window.

"Owen!" He took another sip of her coffee. She reached out, grabbed the mug and pulled it from his grasp before he had time to register what was going on. Somehow, the coffee that spilled over the edges of the mug managed to miss both of them.

"Hey!" It was difficult to ignore someone who'd nearly tipped coffee all over you. Owen stood up, glaring at Jenny.

"That was my coffee, Owen Harper, and you know it," She hissed, slamming the near-empty mug down on a table nearby.

"Slightly over-reacting for coffee, aren't we?"

"It's not just the coffee, Owen!" Jenny's voice was getting louder with every word she said. "It's everything! Everything you do, you do to annoy or upset me, and I have had enough!" By now, she was shouting.

"Oh, and you've just sat back and let it all happen, have you, little miss perfect?" Owen stared right back, his voice raised too, anger showing on his features.

"I've put up with a lot over the past few months," She said. "You disliked me right from the word go, and I'm not quite sure why."

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you put a gun to my head and kicked me in the nuts?"

Jenny ignored him. "Maybe you think I'm trying to take over your job, and you can't handle it because you're too insecure?"

"I am _not_ bloody insecure!"

"Then why do you object so much to another doctor?"

"I object to _you_, you stupid cow, not your job!"

"Is that because you can't just flash me a smile and expect me to bowl over for you like those sluts you like so much?"

"No, it's because you're an insufferable bitch." His face was reddening in anger. "You're so bloody full of yourself! 'Oh, I can do this, I can do that'," He mocked. "But you can't, you're just pretending. You're not a doctor, you just like to think you are. I bet you only worked with dead bodies because then you couldn't kill them!"

"_I'm_ full of myself?" Jenny looked at him in disbelief. "The Great Owen Harper, saying _I'm_ full of myself?"

"And you seem to think you're attractive, too," He continued, ignoring her. "You don't measure up to 'those sluts'," He held up fingers to show quotation marks. "But we've already proved you'll bowl over if I flash you a smile, haven't we?"

Jenny took a step closer. "Actually, I seem to remember that it was you who kissed me."

"You didn't exactly complain!"

"And we know you find me attractive, Owen, so don't give me any of that shit."

"I _did_," He said. "Past tense. God, I don't know what I ever saw in you." Jenny looked confused. "And you're a crap kisser, too - no wonder your lovelife is non-existent."

"Oh don't even start on my lovelife, the closest you've ever come to having a relationship since you were a kid is shagging girls who have been pissed out of their head!"

"I could have a relationship if I really wanted, I just can't be arsed with the grief from women like you!"

"Oh so now you're bringing me into your relationships?!" laughed Jenny sarcastically.

"You wish." snapped Owen.

"Oh you're _impossible_ Owen, you know that?!" shouted Jenny before turning on her heel and going back the way she had come from the cells.

* * *

"What?!" she snapped at Janet, who had raised her head and snarled at her as she stormed back through the block of cells. She turned and sighed at the weevil as it clawed angrily at the glass. Trapped- exactly how she felt when she was with Owen. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to him when he was being the insufferable prick he was at the moment, and having to work on the nightshift with him was proving to be hell already. But she also wanted to know why he was being this way. There must be a reason for it, he wasn't nearly as bad towards any of the others, just her. He said he wasn't worried about her taking over his job, but it was hard to tell if he was telling the truth. And anyway, it couldn't just be that... No, there had to be another reason. Her mind wandered yet again back to the kiss. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the memory. It was wrong. It was wrong that she felt her face grow warm when she thought about him touching her, wrong that she could still taste the kiss when she closed her eyes and thought about it, wrong that she was even thinking about it at all. _Is he thinking any of this stuff as well? No of course he's not, he doesn't give a shit about it, to him it was just an easy chance to get off with someone. _

She opened her eyes and almost started when she saw the weevil still standing staring at her. Neither one of them moved, they just held eye contact, Jenny's greeny grey ones looking straight into Janet's large muddy brown ones. Jenny had never really understood why they kept the poor creature locked down here, Owen had never let her have anything to do with it. He made it plain from the started that Janet was _his_ 'project', as he liked to call her, and that she wasn't allowed to mess with her.

_Just like Owen, _Jenny thought, _trying to push me out of things._ Hit by a sudden impulse, Jenny reached for her swipe card in her pocket and unlocked the cell. She didn't even think about it, all she knew was that she had to get back at Owen some how, and this seemed like the easiest way. Janet had stepped back into the shadows when she had broken the eye contact, and was now lurking at the back of the cell. Jenny took an uneasy step into the cell.

If she could maybe get the weevil to trust her, she's have one up on Owen. He would be furious that something he'd been working on for months decided to bond with another person. During that minute of eye contact, Janet hadn't seemed nearly as vicious as she normally was. _Maybe she just needs a chance to get used to you_... she thought, _or maybe she preferred females to males. Some animals are like that_.

She took a few more steps toward Janet. Big mistake. Everything seemed to go in slow motion - Janet launched forward, snarling and snapping, trying to bite Jenny. Jenny ran backwards out the cell, fumbling with her swipe card. Before she could get the swipe card in the slot the weevil was upon her. She raised her arm in an attempt to hold it off and gasped as she felt the teeth pierce her flesh. Knowing that she had to fight it off, she kicked out hard, her foot connecting with Janet's stomach. The weevil only stumbled back a few paces, but it was enough. The glass door of the cell slide across silently as Jenny pulled down the card, and there was a loud thud as Janet collided with the glass as she attempted to attack Jenny again. Jenny stood there shaking for a moment, before turning and running up the stairs to the autopsy room.

* * *

Owen swore at the computer screen as he was defeated by the evil giant hedgehog for the fifth time that night. Deciding that he couldn't be bothered to start a new game, he finished the last of his coffee - or rather, Jenny's coffee - and checked the records for rift activity. Unsurprisingly, nothing new had occurred in the last hour. Looking at the clock, he saw it was now nearly half one.

_Fuck it,_ _I'm going home,_ he thought. He shut down the computers and descended the stairs to turn off everything on the lower floors. He froze when he saw the small frame of Jenny perched on the edge of the table, her back to him. _Just ignore her,_ he thought to himself as he neared the autopsy room, _don't even look at her. And whatever you do, don't think about the kiss, the feel of her in your arms, the way she nibbled your lip, the smell of her hair...oh, bollocks._ By this time he was level with her, and could see her properly. She was fumbling over a very badly wrapped bandage round her right arm.

"Call yourself a doctor, when you can't even wrap a bandage properly?"

Jenny jumped and looked up. Owen was about to continue when he saw the state of her. She was so pale she was almost white, and her left hand, the one fiddling with the bandage, was covered in blood. She was still shaking slightly, and she looked on the verge of tears.

"Shit..." Owen swore under his breath. "What the hell happened?"

"Weevil." said Jenny quietly. She went back to trying to fix the bandage, which already had blood seeping through. "Owen, I'm really not in the mood for your sarcastic remarks and..." She stopped talking when she felt Owen's hand place gently on her shoulder. She looked up and was met with his eyes that, for once, were not filled with hatred or dislike, but showed worry.

"Let me." He said softly, moving her hand away from her arm so her could get to the bandage. He pushed the sleeve of her jacket up higher, then slowly unwound the bandage. He swore again when he saw the depth of the wound. He got to work dressing the bite properly, leaving Jenny to ponder over this new side of him she had never seen before. This was the last thing she expected from Owen at this moment in time, normally he would have just laughed at her or had a go about her messing with the weevil. Since when was Owen ever this _gentle_? She shivered has his hands brushed up and down her arm. All the thoughts that she had been trying to block out came rushing back to her again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but only succeeded in being hit with a wave of dizziness. She swayed slightly, and felt Owen's hands grab her waist to hold her steady. She opened her eyes and slid of the autopsy table so she was standing in front Owen, trying to balance properly while she got her senses back.

"You ok?" she heard Owen ask. She looked up and nodded, giving him a small smile. "I've finished your arm..." He gave a small nod towards the new, much more well wrapped bandage round her arm. Jenny couldn't think properly. All she aware of was how close Owen was, his arms still at her waist, his scent overwhelming her. She looked up to say something, but instead found herself standing up on tiptoe and placing a light kiss on Owen's lips. When she pulled away, Owen blinked at her in surprise.

"What was that for?" he asked softly.

"Thank you," breathed Jenny, "For helping, and not having a go at me for being so stupid."

She turned as if to walk away, but Owen reached out and stopped her, pulling her to him. His hands cupped her face as their lips crashed together in a fiery kiss. His hands ran through her long hair, then moved down to entwine his fingers with hers. Without realising, the pair moved back together until Jenny felt the back of her legs press against the edge of the autopsy table. She toppled back onto the table, pulling Owen with her. Owen started kissing down her neck, his hands pulling her jacket off her shoulders. He frowned when he felt Jenny's hands at his shoulders, pushing him away.

"Not here," gasped Jenny, struggling for breath, "The CCTV... Jack and the others..."

Owen groaned and closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to concentrate. His lips barely centimetres from hers, and all he wanted to do was close that gap again.

"Come on then," he said, at last pulling back, "I'll walk you home."

* * *

Scarlet was woken by the loud slam of the front door to her block of flats. _The joys of living on the ground floor_, she thought grumpily. Then she realised it was probably Jenny, who lived on the first floor, returning from her night shift with Owen. She slid out of bed and moved to her window, wondering if Jenny had survived the evening without shooting Owen. She almost laughed to herself at the thought. She peered out expecting to see a thoroughly pissed off Jenny, then did a double take when she saw the scene in front of her. Jenny was there, but so was Owen, and the two were wrapped so tightly around each other it was a wonder they were still breathing.

"Bloody hell," Scarlet murmured to herself, _"Again_?!" She watched at the pair stumbled up the stairs, Owen almost carrying Jenny. Scarlet squinted, trying to see up the dark stairwell. She could just make them out. They separated for the period of about 5 seconds while Jenny dug her keys out from out her pocket, before Owen got bored and snogged her again. Scarlet laughed as Jenny tried to open the door mid snog. Eventually she managed, and the pair fell though the door. Scarlet went back to bed, shaking her head and still laughing. _Tomorrow's going to be a lot of fun._

* * *

Jenny struggled to find the light switch in the complete darkness of her hallway. This was not made any easier by the fact that she was, once again, pressed between a wall and Owen. Not that she minded snogging against walls with Owen, but it really would be better if she had some idea of where she was. She broke the kiss, and smiled as Owen grumbled about the loss of contact.

"I wish you would stop pulling away like that, it totally ruins the moment..."

"I thought you said I was a crap kisser?" Jenny laughed, at last finding the light switch.

"Yeah, well, I lied." said Owen, blinking in the sudden light. He smiled when he saw Jenny's appearance- her hair was tousled, her lips kiss-swollen, and her shirt was unbuttoned several more holes than it was probably meant to be, displaying the flushed skin beneath. "So, _now_ can I take your clothes off?" he said, before grabbing her again. Slowly, they made their way to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes scattered behind them.

* * *

**Sacre bleu! Oh, you know they're just going to take all their clothes off and join a nudist colony. 'Cause that's what you do when you go towards the bedroom naked. Yup. **

**Anyways. You know the drill; you review, we luffs you and gives you virtual cake.**


	5. Chapter Three

**Intro bit**

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Torchwood (unfortunately - well, fortunately for Owen, because Jenny would be all over him like a shot). We do, however, own Jenny Winters, Scarlet Dawson and anyone else who pops up that you don't recognise. Also, we're not chemists or forensic scientists, so don't be picky about the details. We're just using our imaginations (and occasionally Wikipedia).

**Shameless Begging:** Please, please review. Tell us how to improve, or tell us we're wonderful. We want to know how we're doing. Flames, however, will just be laughed at, so if you're posting a negative review, make it better by offering _constructive _criticism. Thankyoumuchly!

Also, please keep in mind that we get ridiculously excited when people review, favourite or put this on story alert. And we do try to put in stuff people advise us about. So make your good deed for the day making two girls jump for joy when you do something like that. Honestly, we do actually get quite hyper.

Thank you _lots_ to the people who have done this, you made us happy D

**Apologies:** Be prepared, this is a long one. Sorry that it's so long, for the possible crapness, the lack of sci-fi, for terrifying lizbug, for slight Owen OOCness, for having so many apologies and for wasting those precious seconds of your life while you read this sentence. If you got this far, you get cookies.

Oh yeah, and the whole missing spaces this should no longer apply, but just in case, this is an advance warning.

**This chapter contains:** Moderate language, yet more implications, shirtless men (oo la la) and...well, you'll see.

**Summary**

Torchwood recruit two new members. How will they fare as alienhunters? Romance, humour and psychotic women out to get Owen's privates. OCs, but all the other characters are there as well. Rated for language, violence and themes. Mostly Owen/OC and some Jack/Gwen.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Jenny awoke to the tinny sound of a phone ringing somewhere nearby.

Groggily, she opened her eyes slightly and reached for her phone. Realising her phone wasn't on the bedside table as it normally was, she furrowed her brow. The music continued. _I have to change that ringtone, _Jenny thought as she gazed around for the phone.

She attempted to slide out of bed, but found she couldn't - she seemed to be anchored to the mattress. Puzzled, she lifted up the covers and searched for whatever it was keeping her from finding her phone.

The sight of an arm wrapped tightly around her waist brought back the memories from the night before. _Owen_...she smiled. The ringing hadn't woken him.

It took her a few moments to realise that the ringing had stopped. She smiled again, nestling herself back into the bed.

The ringing of her mobile phone was quickly replaced by the sound of her house phone ringing - and that _was_ on her bedside table.

This time, Owen stirred. Jenny frowned at the phone, willing it to stop, but it was too late. He was awake. She turned her head slightly to look at him and smiled.

"Ignore it," He muttered, burying his face in her shoulder.

"I can't," She replied softly. "What if it's work?"

"Screw work," Owen's voice was muffled. Jenny laughed. She turned round as much as she could and placed a light kiss on his cheek, then tried to remove his arms from around her waist. He tightened his grip. Pursing her lips in mock annoyance, she wriggled round again and reached for the phone - she could just about reach it. She held the receiver up to her ear.

"Yup?"

"Jenny?" Scarlet's voice, no mistake. She sounded worried.

"Scarlet...you okay?"

"Er...not really," There was a pause, and Jenny furrowed her brow. "I appear to have...ah...burnt down half the hub."

Jenny didn't know what to say.

"Jenny?" She still didn't reply, her mouth hanging open in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to call."

"You what?" She croaked eventually.

"It was an accident! I misjudged the properties of one of the chemicals and it kind of...exploded."

"You _burnt the hub down_?" Jenny seemed to be regaining her voice. Owen let go of her waist and sat up.

"Only half of it!"

Jenny ran a hand through her hair.

"We'll..." She stopped herself, taking a sharp breath. "I mean, _I'll_ be there soon." She put the phone back in the cradle and looked at Owen. Shock wasn't an expression he wore often, but it was on his face now. "We have to go. Scarlet burnt the hub - sorry, _half _the hub down."

They slid out of bed and gazed around at the scene of destruction left behind them the night before.

"Now to find our clothes," Owen grinned.

* * *

Jenny and Owen rushed through the door to the hub, then skidded to a halt, looking around and blinking.

It was fine.

The hub was fine.

There was no smoke.

No charred remains.

No sparking computers.

It was all in perfect working order.

Jenny doubted the same could be said for Scarlet when she got her hands on her.

She ground her teeth as the chemist climbed the stairs towards her and smiled. Upon seeing Jenny's face, Scarlet burst out laughing.

"You are _way_ too gullible." laughed Scarlet.

"And you have a really immature sense of humour. That was your idea of _a joke_?!" Jenny glared back.

"It _was_ very funny. You should have seen the looks on your faces when you came in." Jack's voice sounded from across the hub as he came out his office towards them. "Speaking of which, I'm very curious as to why you both turned up late at the same time. Anything you'd like to tell us?"

Jenny flushed and looked away, and even Owen coloured a little. Jack winked at Scarlet over his shoulder.

"Fuck off, Jack." Owen snapped, thoroughly unimpressed, before stomping down to the autopsy room. Jack laughed, then turned and went back into his office, leaving the two girls alone.

Scarlet watched him go, then turned to Jenny. "So what happened this time then?" she giggled.

"Nothing, I just invited him in for a coffee!"

Scarlet snorted, then thought for a moment. "Well it was going to happen sooner or later."

"Scarlet, if you don't shut up this instant, I'm going set you up with Ianto!" hissed Jenny. That wiped the grin of Scarlet's face for about three seconds, before she laughed again.

"Come on, we're cataloguing today. Your favourite," She turned and made her way towards the conference room followed by an altogether unimpressed Jenny.

The table was covered with pieces of paper, files, alien devices, miscellaneous items. The entire team, who were standing around the table, looked up from what they were doing as Jenny entered. Jenny pursed her lips, seeing that they were all trying not to laugh. Apparently they all knew. _Oh, joy_.

"I'll go get Owen," Scarlet said from behind her, and disappeared downstairs again.

Jenny stood where she was for a moment, not sure whether it was better with or without Scarlet in the room. She sat down in a nearby chair, her expression a strange mixture of annoyance and anxiety. She heard Scarlet return with a loudly complaining Owen. She didn't look up, but remained staring at the floor, her long hair hiding her face. She didn't want to face the rest of the team's knowing smirks and hinting remarks, and she didn't think she wanted to see Owen's reaction to them either. She wondered if he was starting to regret last night, now that he could see all the trouble it was causing. Would she just become like any other girl he'd slept with, one-night-stand material? Was this really it, one good shag and then toss her away like the others? No. She wouldn't let that happen.

She suddenly became aware that the others had sat down around the table and began the meeting. She looked up and tried to concentrate on what Tosh was saying, looking anywhere other than where Owen was sitting. She blinked when someone waved a hand in her face. Apparently Jack had been asking her a question.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, did you ever find out what this book you found was?"

"Uhh no, I don't think I ever got round to it, sorry."

"Right, that's what you can work on now then. Tell me if you find anything or need any help." Jack handed the heavy book across the table to her. It was bound in a strange golden material, and encrusted with small sparkling stones. Jenny nodded and sighed, before getting up and going to her desk in the computer bay.

* * *

Jenny sighed and looked at the clock. She felt half asleep, and all she wanted to do was go home. However, she was sure some alien device that one of the others were testing had done something weird to make time slow down; every minute that went by felt like an hour. She yawned and went back to writing notes on the alien book full of some strange unknown language. At first she had found the writing entrancing, it looked so pretty, all swirls and loops and spiralling patterns. After spending several hours trying to translate it, however, she had grown tired of it. She was getting nowhere, and her eyes were hurting from gazing at the small print and from tiredness. There were brief moments when the alien letters seemed to have a life of their own, where they would swim around the page, rearranging themselves. However, Jenny was sure this was her imagination, or a trick of the light. Or something like that, she told herself. She closed her eyes and ran a hand though her hair.

She heard footsteps and knew who it was without even having to open her eyes. She knew his footsteps and, when he drew near enough, she could smell him. That warm-leather-mixed-with-expensive-aftershave smell that she had come to know as Owen's smell. She breathed it in, then breathed out slowly as she felt his hands on her shoulders. At last she opened her eyes and finally turned and looked at him properly for the first time since they had ran into the hub together that morning.

"You look shattered." Owen told her, pushing her tangled hair back away from her eyes.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Jenny said smiling.

Owen grinned. "Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people." He smirked as Jenny gave him a playful slap on the arm.

"Back to fighting then, you two?" Ianto entered the room, carrying two mugs of coffee.

"Ianto, you're a life saver." said Jenny taking her coffee from him. Ianto smiled at her as she sipped the coffee. He passed the other mug to Owen.

"Cheers mate." said Owen, also taking a sip. Ianto turned and began to leave, then turned back to Owen.

"If you've finished sorting out the morgue, Owen, I've got some reports you wrote about the Sleeper agents that I need you to go through with me. There are some bits that need adding and stuff."

Owen groaned. "Alright, just let me finish helping Jenny with this."

They watched Ianto retreat back into the main hub. Jenny sighed and turned back to the book. She stared at the page for about 5 seconds before crying "That's IT! I give up!" She pushed the book away from her and put her head in her hands.

Owen gave a small laugh and reached over to pick up the book. He perched on the edge of the desk, the book supported on his lap, one hand stopping it from slipping off, the other casually rubbing Jenny's shoulder. "I'll have a look for a bit." he said.

Jenny murmured thanks and then sighed and rested her head against Owen. Owen smiled to himself, then started work on the book.

* * *

"I don't remember this," Gwen commented, picking a triangular-shaped object off the table and frowning at it. Jack looked up and moved closer to her, taking the object from her hands.

"Don't you?" He glanced at her. "Came through two weeks ago."

"What is it?"

"God knows." Jack shrugged and put it back down on the table. He stretched, looking around the mostly empty conference room and the pile of paperwork on the desk. Ianto had gone out to distribute coffee out to the rest of the team, Scarlet was downstairs playing with potentially dangerous chemicals (as per usual), Jenny was translating the book, Owen was supposed to be sorting out the morgue and Tosh was - well, he didn't actually know what Tosh was doing - leaving him and Gwen alone in the conference room.

"God, I hate paperwork," Gwen said, reaching across the table to get another file. As her arm stretched out, she brushed against Jack's cup of coffee, but didn't notice.

"Mind the -" Jack began, seeing this, but it was too late. As Gwen pulled her arm back, she knocked the cup and sent a stream of hot coffee flying into Jack's shirt. "- coffee," He finished, sighing. Gwen gasped and began apologising, looking around for a cloth. Jack chuckled, picking up the cup and stepping back to avoid the rapidly spreading puddle on the floor. He winced as he felt the scalding coffee seep through his shirt. He quickly unbuttoned it and peeled the soaked material away from his skin. He pulled the shirt off and held it in his hand, not quite sure what to do with it.

"Here, I'll go give it to Ianto," Gwen said, taking the shirt from Jack. "He's bound to know what to do with it."

She began walking towards the door. She'd only taken a few steps when her heeled shoe slipped on the spilt coffee-puddle on the floor and she was fell forwards - towards Jack.

Jack had turned his attention away and hadn't noticed Gwen slip, so she knocked him over when she fell against him. They lay on the floor, their bodies pressed together, staring at each other in shock.

That was when Ianto walked in.

Gwen jumped off of Jack, blushing slightly and smiling nervously at Ianto - who looked rather less than impressed at the scene before him.

"Ianto, this isn't what you think..." Gwen began, but Ianto had turned and walked out of the room. Gwen sighed.

"_Now _what do we do with the shirt?" Jack said, still laying on the floor topless. Gwen gave him a swift kick.

* * *

Now it was Owen who was staring blankly at the page of alien writing. Finding that all he could really concentrate on was the girl resting against him, he gave up and put the book on the table besides him. "But you know, there are far more things I'd rather be doing than trying to decode what's probably going to turn out to be a recipe book on 100 different ways to cook monster jellyfish."

Jenny looked up and grinned. Owen leaned down slightly, but then jumped up suddenly when he saw Ianto coming back towards them, looking very angry indeed. He stormed in, seemingly in the middle of some sort of rant to himself. He had either forgotten Jenny and Owen were there or was ignoring them. Jenny looked at Owen, then back at Ianto.

"You alright, Ianto?" When he didn't respond, she went up to him and patted him on the shoulder. He shrugged her off, angrily muttering to himself.

"Jack and Gwen...they..." He stood still for a moment, thinking. "I don't feel that well. I'm going home." He turned and left, leaving them staring after him. "Tell Jack for me," He called over his shoulder.

"Poor bloke." sighed Owen, at last.

"Mmm. Do you think we should say anything to Jack?"

"Nah. It's not our place really, is it?"

"Suppose..." sighed Jenny again, glancing at the space where Ianto had just been.

"He'll be fine; he's dealt with worse before. Give it a while, and you watch, he'll be telling Jack where to go. He'll only put up with stuff for so long." He got up and went over to where Jenny was standing. "Let's just... concentrate on us for the moment."

_Us, _thought Jenny, _maybe he does feel something then..._

"God, I sound like such a prat when I say that," He continued, wrinkling his nose slightly. Jenny raised her eyebrows and sighed.

He wrapped his arms around her and she gladly fell into them, her lips locking with his. Unlike the heated kisses they'd shared before, this kiss was slow and gentle. Jenny could have easily stayed like that for days, but this time it was Owen who pulled away first. As with all kisses with Owen, it left her head spinning and heart thudding. She buried her head in his chest.

"My place this time?" he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

"Mmm, sure." Jenny smiled slightly into his shirt.

"You need to get that book report done first, Jenny," Jack's voice sounded from halfway up the stairs. He had apparently found another shirt, but hadn't bothered to button it up yet, so it hung loosely on him. On seeing this, Owen raised his eyebrows.

"In most workplaces, seeing your boss half-dressed isn't considered normal." He commented, and Jack smiled slightly, reaching the top of the stairs. "Here no-one bats a bloody eyelid."

"Aren't you supposed to be sorting out the morgue?"

Owen shook his head. "Finished."

Jack glanced at the clock in the corner of one of the computer screens.

"You can help Jenny with the book," He gestured to the book, laying open on the table beside Owen. Jenny frowned at it. "Gwen is going to buy me a coffee," Jack continued. Gwen, who had just appeared behind Jack, raised her eyebrows. "To make up for the one she spilt over my other shirt."

_That would explain the change of clothing_. Owen didn't look particularly happy at being forced to work longer, but he sighed and looked back down at the book. "Remember to do up your shirt before you leave," He called after Jack and Gwen, already halfway out of the door.

"Why?" Jack said, not looking back. Owen rolled his eyes.

* * *

Even after another half an hour, they still didn't manage to get far. They'd managed to translate a page or two, but most of it didn't make much sense, and they still had no idea what exactly the book was about.

Tosh clattered up the stairs behind them, and two tired faces turned to look at her. She smiled broadly.

"I'm off, then, see you tomorrow," She said brightly. Jenny slammed her head on the table, muttering something under her breath.

"You know what?" She said after a moment, lifting her head from the table. "Screw the bloody book, I'm shattered. I'll do it tomorrow." She pushed the volume away from her, standing up and stretching.

Owen grinned and jumped up. Within seconds he was throwing Jenny's jacket to her, and was in the process of pulling on his own leather one. He grabbed her hand and they quickly made their way outside before Scarlet would notice them leaving together. Owen smiled down at her. "Well, there's no point in wasting time."

Jenny giggled, her energy suddenly coming back now she was no longer working. Their hands linked, the two quickly made their way through the Cardiff streets to Owens flat.

* * *

Scarlet had known they would try to leave without her noticing, but she hadn't expected them to actually manage it. _But somehow they did_, she thought, gazing around at the empty hub. _Guess I was more absorbed in my work than I thought._

On thinking that, she suddenly realised that she hadn't bothered to eat anything since eleven that morning, when Ianto had returned from his "mission" (as Jack had called it) with a large box of doughnuts. She had hardly slept the night before - she couldn't sleep after being woken up by Jenny and Owen - and hadn't had any coffee earlier, though Ianto had offered it to her.

She glanced at the clock on the computer screen, and toyed with the idea of not actually bothering to go home. She would only return in four hours. That meant three hours sleep max. Probably two, if she had to find something to eat first. There wasn't really much point. She'd just go home early the next day. Or pass out and be sent home, either would do.

Something glinting in the blueish glow from the monitor caught her eye. Looking down at the desk, she saw the book Jenny had been translating, half-buried under a mound of papers covered in symbols. _Translation notes_, she thought, picking one of the sheets up and scanning through it. It didn't look like they'd actually got very far. And yet she'd left. _Jack's going to kill her._

She sat down at the desk and pulled the book towards her. Sighing, she picked up a pencil and a piece of paper and opened the book.

_She'd better bloody appreciate this._

* * *

Jenny smiled to herself. She was lying wrapped in the thin white sheets of Owen's bed, watching him steadily drift off to sleep besides her. _God he looks cute when he sleeps._ She sighed. After feeling so knackered at the hub, she was quite surprised that she wasn't tired at all now. She raised her hand to push her hair out of her face and grimaced when she felt how tangled it was. She looked at herself under the sheets. She was hot and sticky with both her own and Owen's perspiration. While she didn't mind smelling of Owen's sweat, she was sure that other people wouldn't like it. She gently eased Owen's hand from where it rested on her thigh so she could get up. She placed a soft kiss on Owen's lips before sliding out of bed and heading towards the bathroom.

After showering and using Owen's toothbrush to quickly clean her teeth, she wrapped the towel round herself before moving to stand by the huge windows of Owen's flat overlooking the city. The view was breathtaking, with the twinkling lights reflecting in the bay. She turned when she heard Owen behind her.

"Hey, you had a shower without me." Owen smiled at her, moving towards where she stood.

"Well, I didn't want to wake you, you look so cute when you're asleep." she laughed

"Cute? So not the image I go for." Said Owen in mock disgust.

"Well I think you are, among many other things, cute." At this Owen grabbed her wrists and pushed her so her back was against the glass of the window.

"And what other things am I?" He asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Jenny moved suddenly, braking free of his grip and switching their positions, so that, for once, she was in control. "You'll have to try a lot harder than that if you want me to tell you." She looked up and him and grinned wickedly. In one swift motion, Owen grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him, then pulled her hands away from where they were pressing into his shoulders and held them down by her sides.

"How much harder?" he asked. Not waiting for her response, he attacked her mouth in a rather violent kiss. Jenny let out a squeak, before giving in to him. When they drew apart, both gasping for air, Jenny realised she was suddenly a lot colder. The fallen towel at her feet explained why.

"Owen! We're right next to the windows!"

"So? Any man would love to see you naked. I bet there's a load of them in the street staring at you now, thinking Christmas has come early."

Jenny squealed and quickly snatched the towel back up before running as far away from the window as possible. Owen watched her, laughing.

"Jen, the windows are tinted. No one can see in." He watched as she disappeared into the bedroom for a moment, returning wearing one of his t-shirts. "Why do you look so much better in my clothes than I do?"

She reached over the arm of the sofa, grabbed a cushion, and threw it across the room at Owen. He caught it, and threw it back harder. Soon pillows and cushions were flying, and their laughter filled the flat. It was only when one of the pillows spilt, sending feathers flying everywhere, did they collapse in a giggling heap, Jenny landing on top of Owen. Owen stopped laughing and gazed up at her. Jenny let out one last feeble giggle before leaning down and kissing him again. "You know, we haven't got long before we have to be back to work." She said in between kisses. Owen rolled over so he was on top.

"How about we have a drink and watch a DVD then?" He kissed her one last time before struggling to his feet and heading towards the kitchen. Jenny smiled and went to pick out a DVD, wondering how much of it they would actually watch. Owen returned with a bottle of wine and put on her chosen film. They curled up on the sofa together, and by the end of the opening credits Jenny had fallen asleep. It wasn't long before Owen followed suit.

* * *

She thought she had been tired before, but that was nothing compared to this. The moment Scarlet had opened the book, a wave of exhaustion had hit her body, and she hadn't been able to shake it. It had worsened as she'd continued. She didn't quite know how she was managing to keep her eyes open for more than a second at a time.

She glanced sluggishly over at the coffee machine, and considered - not for the first time - making herself some coffee (decidedly caffeinated coffee at that), even though she couldn't stand the stuff. But once again she had to decide against it. For all her intellect, she didn't know for the life of her how to work the coffee machine.

Cursing her own incompetence, she looking back at the book, making a mental note to get Ianto to explain coffee machine physics to her in the morning.

She'd only written half a page of the report. She tried to shake off the tiredness that was weighing down her eyelids and concentrate on the book, but that just made it worse. The symbols on the page swam, blurred, merged together as she tried to focus on them.

And to make things worse, she was still starving hungry. There was no food in the hub. Probably Owen's doing. Her stomach grumbled - an audible reminder of her hunger. She ignored the growing empty feeling inside her.

After a further minute or two of trying to translate a language that just would not stay still on the page, she gave up and let her head slam down onto the open book. She felt her eyes shutting and her mind closing down - and yet, in the seconds before darkness washed over her, she knew that it wasn't sleep she was falling into.

There was nothing she could do but lay there as she slipped silently into the dark realm of unconsciousness.

Mere moments after, her body jolted suddenly and violently. The chair she sat in tipped over, sending her spinning onto the floor, yet even as her body hit the cold metal grating her eyes stayed pinned shut.

Her arm twitched slightly, then she lay still - not even her chest moved. Her breath had left her. Her pulse had faded.

A white mist began to rise from her lifeless form. It gathered in the air, curling and twisting like smoke, being drawn slowly towards the book, still laying open on the desk.

The mist flowed into the center of the book as if it were being sucked in. Within moments it had disappeared, and there was nothing to suggest that something strange had happened - save for Scarlet, laying lifeless on the cold floor.

* * *

Jenny pushed the door open cautiously and peered inside. No-one seemed to be in yet. She sighed, wondering if Owen was still asleep on the sofa. She'd left him there about half an hour ago, tiptoeing around and creeping out of his flat before he woke up. She felt slightly guilty for doing so, but she knew Jack would have her guts for garters if she didn't at least start the report on the alien book. She'd left a note for Owen, but she doubted he'd see it. She'd just explain to him later. She quickly made her way to where she left the book and report last night, her high heels echoing loudly in the empty hub.

She turned the corner. She frowned slightly, noticing the mess of papers she'd left on the table the night before. She saw the chair, tipped over on its side - that was odd. She glanced around. From where she was standing she could see a lifeless figure sprawled on the grated floor of the computer bay. She froze, her breath catching in her throat. It was Scarlet. Racing down the steps, she threw herself at Scarlet's side, quickly checking for a pulse. There wasn't one. She unsuccessfully tried to push back the tears welling up in her eyes and continued to check the body for signs of life. Every single test she could think of came back with the worst result.

Pure and utter terror filled her mind.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

All her years of medical training went out of the window as she screamed Scarlet's name, slapping her face, panicking. _She can't be dead. _Everything told her so, but she refused to listen. _She can't be dead. _Scarlet's body was stone cold. _She can't be dead. _No pulse, no breath, no body heat, nothing. _She can't be dead._

"Scarlet!" She called at the lifeless form once more. "Scarlet, wake up."

Nothing. She pushed her hair from her eyes, red and wet with tears. She shook Scarlet's body.

She reached into her pocket, her hands shaking violently. She dialled a number and waited for Owen to pick up. He did so after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Owen," Jenny croaked.

"Jenny? What's wrong?" He knew something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

"S-Scarlet..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"What's she done now?"

"Owen, I think she's..." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I think she's dead."

* * *

SOB. Sorry for the cliff hanger. We were considering letting Jack burst in with a joyous "Sup bitches?", but we thought it might destroy the atmosphere somewhat.

Review and cheer us up after we just killed a character?

We'll try and not take so long next time.


End file.
